You wouldn’t steal a car, handbag or movie, would you? Despite the anti-piracy videos we remember from the 2000s, unlike most other countries, downloading and watching pirated films from the internet in Switzerland is not severely punished. Now, a new study by MUSO has revealed the most popular movies and TV shows to pirate in Switzerland in 2022.

Swiss piracy laws more relaxed than rest of Europe

Currently, downloading or streaming pirated movies with the intent to watch them is not illegal in Switzerland. In fact, the Swiss police will likely only get involved if the content is downloaded with the intention of redistributing it - in short, punishing the uploaders, not the viewers.

Worldwide, the MUSO study found that the most illegally downloaded film of 2022 was the hit Marvel roller-coaster Spider-Man: No Way Home, followed by The Batman and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Interestingly, the two highest-grossing films of 2022, Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water, were not popular with pirates, with Tom Cruise placing eighth and James Cameron's long-awaited sequel not featuring in the global ranking at all.

Most pirated films in the world in 2022

The top 10 most pirated films in the world in 2022 were:

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
2. The Batman
3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
4. Thor: Love and Thunder
5. Black Adam
6. Uncharted
7. Eternals
8. Top Gun: Maverick
9. Jurassic World Dominion
10. Encanto

MUSO noted that six of the 10 most illegally downloaded movies were superhero flicks - four from Marvel and two from DC. In addition, some of the most commonly downloaded movies, like Black Adam, Eternals and Uncharted, were not universally loved by critics, and the rise of Marvel movies in the piracy ranking coincided with a decline in box office profits for their new films.

Most pirated movies in Switzerland in 2022

Unlike the rest of the world, the most commonly pirated film in Switzerland in 2022 was Robert Pattinson’s The Batman, followed by Spider-Man and Thor. Unlike the global top 10, Bullet Train, Avatar: The Way of Water and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, all found themselves in the ranking.

In all, the top 10 most pirated movies in Switzerland in 2022 were:

1. The Batman
2. Spiderman: No Way Home
3. Thor: Love and Thunder
4. Black Adam
5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
6. Top Gun: Maverick
7. Uncharted
8. Bullet Train
9. Avatar: The Way of Water
10. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The top 10 in the alpine nation was notable for not having a single film made or shot in Switzerland this year.

Most illegally downloaded TV shows in Switzerland in 2022

As part of the same study, MUSO also looked at the most pirated television series in Switzerland. However, they noted that as the only way to “hack” a Netflix show was by password sharing, no show produced by the red giant featured.

The top 10 most pirated TV series in Switzerland in 2022 (without Netflix) are:

1. House of the Dragon
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
3. The Walking Dead
4. Chainsaw Man
5. Obi-Wan Kenobi
6. Halo
7. Moon Knight
8. Rick and Morty
9. The Last of Us
10. Star Wars: Andor

Of course, illegally downloading films will remain a contentious issue for years to come. Watson noted that the problem has also divided Hollywood, with actor Helen Mirren once saying that “piracy will destroy the film industry and cinema as an art form”, while more lenient directors argue that the practice is free advertising. 

What was the best film you watched this year? Let us know in the comments below!