Hit films keep DVD hawkers busy

Hawkers in mainland cities are struggling to keep up with demand for pirated versions of the summer blockbuster movies The Da Vinci Code and M:i:III.

The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks, made its debut in mainland cinemas last Friday, but the release of M:i:III has been held up by problems with the censors.

A DVD hawker in Beijing said he could sell two dozen copies of M:i:III each day.

'It has definitely been the most popular film since it came on to the market one week ago. Sellers in better positions, such as subway station entrances, can sell about 60 copies of the movie every day,' the hawker said.

He said sales of pirated copies of M:i:III, which stars Tom Cruise, could have been even better had it not been for jerky filming, which is often the case with early pirated versions shot in cinemas with hand-held video cameras.

He said high-quality copies of The Da Vinci Code were expected to become widely available from today.