It may have had its wide theatrical release shelved over the holidays, but Sony Pictures says Vancouver-filmed comedy The Interview managed to set a record for most downloads.
The film — written, directed and produced by Canadians Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg — was downloaded 2 million times and earned $15 million since its online release Christmas Eve.
That makes it the most successful online release for Sony Pictures, the company said in a statement.
Major chains dropped the film after the same hackers that leaked embarrassing information about Sony Pictures threatened to unleash attacks on theatres that featured The Interview.
The gross-out comedy depicts North Korean dictator Kim Jung-un as an unhinged leader who enjoys listening to Katy Perry songs and cries on international TV.
The U.S. government linked the cyber attacks on Sony to the North Korean government, although the hermit kingdom has denied the allegations.
The film also earned nearly US$3 million in a limited theatrical release.
Despite all the hype and media attention surrounding the film, its US$15 million opening weekend gross from downloads is still smaller than the US$20 million Rogen and Goldberg’s previous directorial effort, This is the End, earned over its wide-theatrical release on its June 2013 opening weekend.
In Canada, the film was only available to rent for $7 or buy for $18 using services such as YouTube.
But by Sunday (December 28), Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes jumped on board and began offering it online as well.
