Seth Rogen, James Franco's 'The Interview' scores $15 million from VOD, now available on iTunes

The Interview continued to be a main topic of conversation over the Christmas weekend, even after the film became widely available.

Now, Sony has the numbers and it looks like they figured out how to make a hit even without a wide theatrical release. Granted, not all films will get North Korea mad, but it did provide Hollywood with the answer to one key question: will audiences leave their homes to see a movie that they can also watch at home?

The answer was yes. The Interview was only seen at 331 indie theaters across the country, after the big chains decided they wouldn’t because of threats from hackers. Despite that small release, the film took in $2.8 million between Thursday and Sunday, notes The Hollywood Reporter, even though the film had been available online since Wednesday.

“I'm so grateful that the movie found its way into theaters, and I'm thrilled that people actually went out and saw it,” co-writer/co-star/co-director Seth Rogen said in a statement. “The fact that people actually left their houses when they had the option of staying home is amazing.”

The New York Times reports that Sony has said that the film made an astonishing $15 million from YouTube, Google Play and XBox Video sales. That number could climb even higher now that the film is available on Apple’s iTunes.

The film is also expected to be available on Netflix soon.

Meanwhile, both Rogen and James Franco had some fun with fans over the weekend, live-tweeting the movie Sunday afternoon.

The Interview is a comedy that centers on a plot to assassinate North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. While a wide release was planned for Christmas Day, the threats from hackers led to Sony cancelling that plan. The studio initially refused to release it at all, but after backlash that went all the way up to President Obama, Sony opted for the limited release. In the end, the film became the first movie from a major studio to be available on VOD services and in theaters at the same time.

image of James Franco courtesy of Dara Kushner/INFphoto.com

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