(Sony)
The Interview will available for rental as well as purchase on Wednesday, beginning at 1 p.m. EST, announced Sony. The film will be offered on several platforms, including YouTube, Microsoft’s Xbox Video, Google Play, and Sony’s website www.seetheinterview.com. The rental price is $5.99 and the purchase price in HD is $14.99.
The Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy, which was initially pulled from theaters due to threats from Sony hackers linked to North Korea, is also being put back into approximately 300 U.S. theaters, despite threats of violence.
Michael Lynton, chairman Sony Entertainment said of the decision to make the film available on YouTube and other sites, “It has always been Sony’s intention to have a national platform on which to release this film.” He added, “With that in mind, we reached out to Google, Microsoft and other partners last Wednesday, December 17, when it became clear our initial release plans were not possible. We are pleased we can now join with our partners to offer the film nation-wide today.”
“We never stopped pursuing as wide a release as possible for The Interview. It was essential for our studio to release this movie, especially given the assault upon our business and our employees by those who wanted to stop free speech. We chose the path of digital distribution first so as to reach as many people as possible on opening day, and we continue to seek other partners and platforms to further expand the release,” his statement continued.
Lynton concluded, “I want to thank Google and Microsoft for helping make this a reality. This release represents our commitment to our filmmakers and free speech. While we couldn’t have predicted the road this movie traveled to get to this moment, I’m proud our fight was not for nothing and that cyber criminals were not able to silence us.”
As Gossip Cop previously reported, The Interview release was controversially canceled by Sony after the hackers who infiltrated the company demanded all evidence of the film, which depicts an assassination attempt on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, be erased. Sony initially complied with the demands before backtracking and announcing plans to release the movie. Will you now be renting or buying The Interview?
