'The Interview' becomes Sony's top online film release of all time

[Shawn Knight]

The Interview, the controversial film from Sony Pictures that saw its nationwide theatrical release cancelled before finding a home at select independently-owned theaters and online in the wake of a devastating attack against the studio, could end up becoming one of the most important movies in years.

In an unprecedented move, Sony decided not to let hackers rule the day and instead, opted to simultaneously release the film online on Christmas Eve. Since that time, the movie has been rented or purchased more than 4.3 million times, bringing the total revenue from its online release to more than $31 million.

In the first four days, the film made $15 million online and in the next eight days, it brought in an additional $16 million. As such, it has become the number one Sony Pictures online film of all time.

The Interview has also earned roughly $5 million from its run at independently-owned theaters.

While it’s entirely possible that the movie could have earned more money from a traditional theatrical release (Christmas is a huge day for movie theaters), that option was no longer in the cards. Following threats of terrorist attacks at theaters showing the film, all of the major theater chains decided not to screen it.

The movie still has a bit more money to earn before breaking even on its $44 million budget but perhaps more importantly, it’s opened the door for simultaneous online releases. Whether or not Sony or any other studio plans to willingly take that route again in the near future, however, remains to be seen.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59340-interview-becomes-sony-top-online-film-release-all.html

 

[JohnCB]

What other Triple-A title has Sony done an online release for on Day 1?

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

What other Triple-A title has Sony done an online release for on Day 1?

right? this didn't sound like a hard record to break.

Whether or not Sony or any other studio plans to willingly take that route again in the near future, however, remains to be seen.

No it doesn't. I don't much about how studios and theaters negotiate movie releases, but I imagine that Marcus and AMC etc won't be too happy if Sony decides to release some of their movies online. Online purchases don't come with overpriced popcorn after all.

 

[Seventh Reign]

So its #1 ... of 1?

 

[Guest]

Title should be: "Sony's least successful online release so far"

 

[Guest]

I wonder where the mysterious "hackers" will be from next time. Russia? Or Iran perhaps?

 

[Kibaruk]

I wonder where the mysterious "hackers" will be from next time. Russia? Or Iran perhaps?

Maybe from Guestland.

 

[Guest]

Currently, someone who downloads pirated movies online has the option on release day of a big movie to:

1. Download a shitty Cam version, where someone sits there in a movie theater recording the movie with a cell phone. The quality is terrible.
2. Download a screener, if there is one - quality is almost tolerable, but lower than retail
3. Wait several months until the movie is out on Blu-Ray, so the movies they download are Blu-Ray rips (HD Quality)
   
4. Go watch it in theaters

If that person likes quality, which almost everyone does, 3 and 4 are the only options, which means even pirates have a reason to go pay to watch a movie in a theater. If movies had simultaneous releases online, there'd be a piracy group that would buy it, rip it, and movies would start being released on torrent sites in HD quality on day one. Sony would lose a massive amount of money. They're unlikely to ever do that - at least not until they have some system that ensures that an online release cannot be copied and released on torrent sites, which is ridiculously hard to do, especially since simple screen recording software can pretty much defeat any copy protection.

 

[tipstir]

I've watched this movie and I didn't care for it. To me was just something they had to get North Korea involved and push viewers to watch in very high numbers so this poor directed movie would break even in the cost it had taken them to produce it.

 

[Soulburn74]

Its sad the circumstances in which this came to be. If the Hacking scandle hadn't happened this movie most likely would have been just another abysmal release/failure. But attach some controversy to it, and some people felt the need to do their patriotic duty. It remains to be seen if it was NK or inside job......either way, Sony went for the cash grab when they waved the white flag of freedom of speech......and everyone that felt that patriotic duty fell for it......

 

[mailpup]

Leaving aside whether or not it is a good movie and whether or not the theater chains were right to pull the movie, the theater chains inadvertently may have demonstrated that you can bypass them and still make money. Granted, this movie has not yet broken even but will this lead to some future movie, a better movie, giving it a go? Maybe not, but who knows?

 

[Uncle Al]

The new Sony Business Model? Get hacked, get sacked, get POTUS bitched, then get rich? Works for me!

 

[hahahanoobs]

I read somewhere that it cost $80 million to make and promote the movie. Sony has a long way to go.

 

[bexwhitt]

What other Triple-A title has Sony done an online release for on Day 1?

C+ movie