14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Pictures got into a lot of trouble with hackers group Guardians Of Peace (#GOP) over the film “The Interview,” an action comedy that details an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but after weeks of pressure, threats, and leaks, it still released it to the public.
Not all theaters in the US dared to screen it after #GOP threatened to bomb them 9/11-style if they did, but some indie theaters did. However, Sony made the big bucks from online sales and rentals, a statement from the studio to the media reveals.
In the end, it looks like all the controversy paid off, like it always does in showbiz.
“The Interview” performs well over extended Christmas weekend
The numbers for the film, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen as 2 idiotic TV people who are tasked by the CIA to kill Kim Jong-un while there to interview him, are in: they’re not as spectacular as they could have been, but they’re very impressive considering the limited release.
The film brought in a total of $2.8 million (€2.29 million) domestically from indie theaters that screened it as a special event and another $15 million (€12.3 million) online, mostly through YouTube and Google Play Movies (though it was available on Xbox Video, the Sony website, and iTunes Store).
A total of $17.8 million (€14.6 million) over the extended, 4-day Christmas weekend isn’t all that bad if you think that, on the 23rd, Sony had decided to pull it from its release schedule altogether.
The numbers are expected to dwindle in the following days and Sony might still not recoup the film’s $40 million (€32.8 million) budget, not to mention make a profit, but at least it’s cutting its losses considerably.
Freedom of speech and of artistic expression prevails
#GOP warned Sony that it would continue to release sensitive information about its staff and ongoing projects, lifted from the thousands of files stolen in the November hack, until it would cancel the release of “The Interview,” which was, as per their own words, a threat to international peace.
Days before the scheduled worldwide release on Christmas day, #GOP issued the bomb threat, which turned out to be the tipping point for Sony and all major US theater chains. The latter began to back out of previously made arrangements, to the point where Sony had no other choice but to cancel the release – because even if it wanted to go ahead with it, it had no theaters to still want to screen the film.
US President Barack Obama said that Sony had “made a mistake” in giving in to the terrorists because artistic expression should never be censored in any way – so no movie studio should allow a terrorist / hackers group to dictate their release schedule. The next day, Sony had changed its mind and confirmed “The Interview” would come out in select theaters and various online platforms.
Heads will roll if the film flops
Word online has it that Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal, whose name has come up a lot in recent weeks because many of her emails were leaked (and she was, apparently, a staunch supporter of Rogen’s project), will be the first to leave Sony if the film flops.
After the huge wave of negative media attention, Sony will want to have a scapegoat and it seems that the bosses at the company have already agreed on who it will be: Pascal’s head will roll if “The Interview” doesn’t fare well.
Considering that the film is yet to cover its budget and that sales tend to decrease in the second week after release, Pascal must be feeling very insecure right now.
