There’s been a happy ending of sorts to the saga that blew up around THE INTERVIEW, Sony Pictures’ controversial North Korean comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. With threats made and the personal information of studio top brass hacked, it looked like it was curtains for the Kim Jong-un assassination “romp”, as theatrical chains pulled out of screenings and the release was eventually cancelled. However, since Sony relented and took the movie online Christmas Day it has already made back a third of its $44m budget. Alongside a limited cinematic outing amongst independent theatres, that sweetens the deal after a potentially bleak Yule for the satirists.
It’s hardly a surprise as viewing the film became a virtual act of patriotism, with America showing its alleged North Korean cyber attackers they were standing strong behind co-directors Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The racial slurs against President Obama no doubt helped along the way. An interesting by-product of the whole business is the release of a major studio picture almost exclusively online, a move that will be watched closely by Sony’s competitors as the product is piped direct to peoples’ bedrooms. Despite weak reviews, it looks like THE INTERVIEW could have a major impact on the Hollywood distribution model.
Source: BBC
