The Interview, the now-infamous lowbrow political comedy starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, is making news in a positive way just weeks after it sat at the center of a massive hacking attack on distributor Sony Pictures.
Sony Pictures announced today that online sales and rentals of The Interview — launched through the Internet and video-on-demand distribution channels after threats of violence compelled major theater chains to scrap its Christmas release — total over $31 million, making Franco and Rogen’s controversial flick about an assassination attempt against North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un Sony’s most successful online film of all time.
Though Sony still has a long ways to go to recoup The Interview’s $44 million pre-promotion production budget, it is likely the film will serve as an important trial balloon for studios looking to hop on the mobile bandwagon, if unintentionally so.
Competitors eager to adapt to consumers’ desire to watch their favorite shows on the go could make The Interview the opening shot in a long series of films following mobile-first release schedules.
