(Bloomberg) — Sony Corp. will see its holiday box office salesblunted after Brad Pitt's "Fury" and the unreleased "Annie" werestolen by hackers and leaked online.

The World War II drama "Fury" was downloaded 500,000 times sincethe Nov. 25 cyberattack on Sony's film-and-TV studio, according tothe news site TorrentFreak. The leaks, which also include theupcoming "Still Alice," and "Mr. Turner," will draw viewers fromunit that has been one of Sony's most reliable profit-makers, withgross ticket revenue up 13% this year, according to Box OfficeMojo.

"There will be an impact on Sony Picture's box office revenuefor this year due to hacking and the leaks," said Hideki Yasuda, aTokyo-based analyst for Ace Research Institute. "It will be aone-time impact and won't drag on too long."

The illegal downloads of "Fury " illustrates the economic damagehackers can inflict on film studios. The scourge facing Hollywood,Silicon Valley and investors costs the global economy as much as$575 billion annually, according to a study published in June byMcAfee, a security-software maker owned by Intel Corp., and theCenter for Strategic and International Studies.

Sony, which had hits with "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" and ''22Jump Street'' this summer, intends to boost annual sales from itsfilm unit to as much as $11 billion in 2018, up from $8.1 billionnow.

Shares of the company rose 1.5% to 2,640 yen at the close inTokyo trading. The stock has gained 45% this year, compared with a9.2% increase in Japan's benchmark Topix index.

"Annie" Leaked

George Boyd, a Tokyo-based spokesman for Sony Corp., declined tocomment.

"Fury," which was released Oct. 17, was No. 5 on TorrentFreak'sweekly list of the most-pirated movies. Entertainment industry newsservice Variety.com reported the number of downloads may exceed 1.2million across multiple sites, citing piracy tracking firmExcipio.

"Annie," "Still Alice," "Mr. Turner" and "To Write Love on HerArms" have also appeared on sites offering pirated movies since theattack that continues to affect computer systems at Sony PicturesEntertainment, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

Sony Pictures is continuing to investigate the breach,including the possibility it may involve North Korea, the personsaid. The website Re/code reported Nov. 28 that the studio waslooking into whether the attack coincides with the release of "TheInterview," a comedy about a CIA plot to kill North Korean leaderKim Jong-Un.

Cybercrime Spreads

Sony Pictures, the entertainment division of Tokyo-based Sony,called the theft a "criminal matter" in a statement and said thecompany is working with law enforcement to address it.

The theft of completed motion pictures shows that cybercriminalsare targeting more than credit card and bank account numbers. Vastlibraries of films and TV shows are the main assets of studios suchas Culver City, California-based Sony Pictures.

The hacking incident came to light when a picture of a skullappeared on company computer screens. The image was accompanied bya message saying Sony had been hacked by #GOP, believe to stand for"Guardians of Peace," and that private data wouldbe released if undisclosed demands weren't met.

North Korea

The attack has forced some employees to communicate via textmessage and private e-mail accounts. Some systems at the divisionhave been brought back online, according to the person. E-mail andsome other systems remain down. The studio's home entertainmentdivision was able to fulfill Black Friday orders, the personadded.

The attack came a month before the scheduled release of "TheInterview," a comedy about a CIA plot to kill North Korea'sleader.

The Seth Rogen film, currently being advertised for release intheaters on Dec. 25, features Rogen and James Franco as TVproducers who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim. Plansfor the film drew a rebuke from the country, with a foreignministry spokesman saying in state media that the release would bean "act of war," according to the BBC.

The remake of the 1982 "Annie" is Sony's next big film release,schedule to hit theaters on Dec. 19. The new version starsQuvenzhané Wallis, Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx.

Oscar Contenders

One comfort for the studio is that the targeted audience for"Annie" doesn't often use pirated content, the person said. Thewebsite BoxOffice.com predicts "Annie" will generate $100 millionfor its run in U.S. and Canadian cinemas. Films frequently do muchmore in overseas markets.

Two other new films, "Mr. Turner" and "Still Alice" areconsidered possible Oscar contenders for their lead actors TimothySpall and Julianne Moore, according to the websiteGoldDerby.com.

In 2011, Sony's online-entertainment service was targeted byhackers who gained access to information on millions of customers.The company was criticized by U.S. lawmakers after the hacking.

In August, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. won a court orderblocking websites from distributing an allegedly stolen copy of theaction film "The Expendables 3" starring Sylvester Stallone, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford. Downloaded copieswere viewed by more than 2 million people before the movie wasshown in theaters.

–With assistance from Julie Johnsson in Chicago and JordanRobertson in Washington.