14 DAY TRIAL // “We're pleased to offer ‘The Interview’ for rental or purchase on the iTunes Store,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said in a brief statement on Sunday. Hours later, the widely publicized film became available for renting ($5.99 / €4.99) and for owning ($14.99 / €12.99).
The above price conversions are what the film would normally cost in iTunes Stores outside the US, though Apple has yet to make it available in Europe apparently.
An action-comedy movie, The Interview [iTunes link] stars James Franco as Dave Skylark and Seth Rogen as his producer Aaron Rapoport. The duo manage to score a rare interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who is a fan of their celebrity tabloid TV show “Skylark Tonight.” The CIA intercepts the duo’s plans and orders them to take out Jong-un.
Sony Pictures had initially released the movie online through YouTube and Google Play, as well as Microsoft’s Xbox Video. A dedicated watch-the-movie site was also set up by Sony. Apple is the last to host the film on its digital distribution service, after initially refusing to offer it up for sale or renting.
The film was also shown in select independent theaters, which garnered roughly $1 million (€800,000) in sales on Christmas day alone. It reportedly cost Sony $44 million (€36.11 million) to make the movie, plus an extra $40 million (€32.82 million) in marketing and the actors’ compensation.