36 Minutes of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' Leaked Online

(Nov. 17) -- Two days to the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" and executives at Warner Bros. are ticked off.

Someone, somewhere, has leaked the first 36 minutes of the highly anticipated wizard thriller onto the website bitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing tool that lets users swap movie-sized files over the Internet, MTV reports.

The leaked file is allegedly a segment from the film's screener, a copy of the movie sent to critics and censors before it's released in theaters, AfterDawn reports. Unlike other low-quality film bootlegs leaked online, which are often recorded illegally in theaters with a home video camera, screeners are more coveted to downloaders because of their high quality. This particular screener, though, is mysterious for its short length.

"Released by the group iNK, the leaked copy is not a usual DVD screener," TorrentFreak wrote. "Yes, the watermarks and other screener features are there, but instead of the full film, the leaked copy only covers the first 36 minutes of the highly anticipated release."

Entertainment bloggers are questioning how and why "the most notable movie leak in some time" came to be released on the Internet just two days before the film opens in theaters around the nation.

"The question now remains as to why the screener is only 36 minutes long, but the consensus is that Warner Bros. was so scared of a leak that they cut down the amount shown in the screeners they sent out," AfterDawn wrote. "It could also be that Warner just leaked the clip themselves to add to the hype, not that the Harry Potter series, especially this film, needs any more."

Warner Bros. says it is not taking the matter lightly.

"This constitutes a serious breach of copyright violation and theft of Warner Bros. property," the studio told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. "We are working actively to restrict and/or remove copies that may be available. Also, we are vigorously investigating this matter and will prosecute those involved to the full extent of the law."

Early leaks can be serious business to studios. When an early version of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" leaked online in the spring, frantic studio heads at 20th Century Fox rushed to stop the footage from spreading. Despite the leak, the film grossed $85.1 million during its opening weekend, though Fox executives said it could have earned over $20 million more at the box office if people didn't already have their own personal copy of it.

As a consolation prize for Warner Bros., which will likely manage to stay in business even with the cursed leak, Surge Desk has posted the trailer for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1," below.