The Pirate 'Menace'

02/26/1999 at 12:00 AM EST

The new "Star Wars" movie premiered in Macau (near China) on pirated video compact discs (VCDs) this week, complete with Chinese subtitles, Reuters reports. "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace" was released just a week ago in U.S. movie theaters, but Macau stores are already doing a brisk business in pirated video CDs, a format almost unknown in the West. Police said the VCDs were selling for $150 (U.S.). Video piracy is rampant in Macau, and police say most of the bootleg films come from mainland China or Hong Kong. Bootleg VHS versions of this latest episode in the "Star Wars" saga have already begun to appear in cities across the United States.