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Hey all,

I was just woundering this idea, Say you get a blockbuster in and you like the film, But the film has to go back to the company your renting it from and never to be seen on big screen cinemas again,

Is it possible to buy a copy of the film so that you own it and can play it as many times as you like for your own private use only and not to public?

The simple answer is "No".

However, there is an "underground" of private collectors who have private film screening rooms. They have developed certain ways of acquiring and trading films, none of which is official... or technically legal.

I highly doubt any collector would admit to having films in his possession, certainly not to someone he didn't know well.

Regardless how privately a film is presented, it, and all promotional materials are the property of the studios. Even the stuff on Ebay shouldn't be there.

There actually is a publication that caters to these collectors called BIG REEL (google). There are tons of titles ranging from 8mm thru 35mm listed for sale. I have no idea how the prints end up in their hands, and as an exhibitor, I sure would not want one any where near me--but the magazine has been around a long time.

Alot of indy theatres I know have collections from Big reel. I wonder how they openly sell them without getting in trouble.They play only to themselves and do not view the movies to the public.
Myself I would be nervous to even have a 35mm feature cause in no case is it legal unless it is public domain.

Yes these film collectors are sometimes questionable but to their credit I have heard without them we would have lost some of the great films in their original version. So these film colloectors can play an important role to historians.

Its just a shame tho,

They should sell them but not allow you to show them to the public,

Maybe, but that would probably work about as well as believing people would stop downloading your stuff off the internet, just because you asked.

True,

right on