10 most pirated movies

With global box-office takings of £1.77 billion, 'Avatar' is the most successful film ever to hit cinemas. But technology blog TorrentFreak has now revealed that the James Cameron blockbuster is also the most pirated film of all time.

The news seems to make a mockery of James Cameron's claims that 3D is the best hope for the film industry to combat piracy.

TorrentFreak compiled its list after The Hollywood Reporter found that 'The Blind Side' was the most rented title over at US online rentals site Netflix.

The Sandra Bullock sports/race drama didn't even feature in the most-downloaded Top 10, which was primarily composed of blockbusters like 'The Dark Knight' and 'Transformers'. In fact, there is not a single film that features in both lists.

The lack of correspondence between the two surveys lends credence to industry claims that rentals and TV-sales are hardest hit by piracy, as the most stolen films did well in cinemas but not in the rentals market.

The biggest victim of piracy may well be said to be 'Kick-Ass', which clocks in at number 7 in the most-pirated chart but is the only film in the top 10 to have banked less than £64 million ($100 million) during its cinema run.

The full list of the 10 most pirated movies follows:

1. Avatar (21 million downloads)
2. The Dark Knight (19 million)
3. Transformers (19 million)
4. Inception (18 million)
5. The Hangover (17 million)
6. Star Trek (16 million)
7. Kick-Ass (15 million)
8. The Departed (14 million)
9. The Incredible Hulk (14 million)
10. Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End (14 million)