The R5 (DVD for Region 5 ) format was first introduced to reduced DVD movie piracy in areas such as Russia, Indian subcontinent and Africa. These DVDs were cheaper but had identical image and audio quality to R1/R2 DVD releases. However, some lacked DVD special features present in other regions [Read more about R5 from here]. We don’t know if the R5 format really reduced piracy as intended but it sure as hell became popular among pirates one way or the other. R5 DVDs are usually released before other regions and this has made them a popular source for online movie leaks. For those who are interested, here’s a list of R5 movie DVD release dates for the year 2010.
December 2009
- The Soloist (2009) - December 15
- Planet 51 - December 17
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - December 17
- Solitary Man - December 17
- The Stepfather (2009) - December 17
January 2010
- Avatar - January 14
- Bandslam - January 21
- Smokin 'Aces 2: Assassins' Ball - January 26
- Final Destination, The (2009) - January 26
- City Island - January 26
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - January 28
- This Is It – January
February 2010
- Informant!, The - February 2
- (500) Days of Summer (2009) - February 4
- Whiteout - February 9
- Couples Retreat - February 9
- Time Traveler's Wife, The - February 9
- Halo Legends - February 9
- Invention of Lying, The - February 16
- Amelia - February 18
- Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant - February 23
- Blind Side, The - February 23
- Tooth Fairy - February 25
March 2010
- Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove - March 2
- Marine 2, The - March 4
- Ninja Assassin - March 9
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - March 11
- Where the Wild Things Are - March 23
- Surviving Evil - March 25
- The Cabin in the Woods - March 25
- Sherlock Holmes - March 30
- Disney's A Christmas Carol – March
April 2010
- Paranormal Activity - April 6
- Fantastic Mr. Fox Fox - April 15
- It's Complicated - April 20
May 2010
- Preacher's Kid - May 4
- Date Night - May 6
- Valentine's Day - May 18
- Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps - May 20
June 2010
- Lovely Bones, The – June
- Up in the Air – June
- Invictus – June
- Wolfman, The – June
July 2010
- Clash of the Titans (2009) – July
- Green Zone – July
- She's Out of My League – July
August 2010
- How to Train Your Dragon – August
September 2010
- Despicable Me – September
- Get Me to the Gig – September
- Iron Man 2 – September
- Robin Hood – September
- Sex and the City 2 – September
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World the World – September
October 2010
- Jonah Hex – October
- Repo Men – October
November 2010
- Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore – November
- Shrek Forever After – November
December 2010
- Inception – December
Sources: MovieFreak, SCC Forums, T-I Forums, IRC
Note that above dates may not always be accurate. DVD release dates constantly change and the above is merely an early draft of what’s to come. On a side note, some really good movies are scheduled for release in 2010.
R5 DVDs usually have a non English audio stream local to the country which is release is being made (i.e. Russian). Needless to say it wouldn’t be too popular among pirates in English speaking countries if the movie is leaked in this form. So what really happens is, a group (such as ELEKTRIKA) releases the original untouched DVD and later some other group replaces it’s foreign audio stream with English audio, rips it, and re-releases it to scene/p2p sources later. In other words, if you know the R5 release date of a movie, you can pretty much guess when it’ll be leaked online.
