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That the farcical film - which angered North Korea and
triggered a devastating cyberattack on the studio - is now a
guinea pig for Hollywood's digital future constitutes another
bizarre twist in the month-long Sony Pictures saga.
After large movie theater chains refused to screen the comedy
following threats of violence from hackers who opposed the film,
Sony stitched together a limited release in 331 mostly
independent theaters and a $5.99 video-on-demand (VOD) rental
option on YouTube, Google Play and other sites.
"I'd be surprised if this wasn't one of the biggest VOD events
ever," said Jeff Bock, a box office analyst at Exhibitor
Relations, who thinks Sony could have charged more.
Until Sony discloses the online revenues, it is hard to know if
the studio will come anywhere near recouping the $44 million it
cost to make the film, plus the $30 million-$40 million that
some estimate was spent on marketing the film and its stars,
Seth Rogen and James Franco.
The comedy, steeped in gross-out, bathroom humor, depicts the
travails of two journalists who get enlisted to assassinate
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. It might not be a typical
Christmas Day release, but it filled theaters and got lots of
laughs.
Sony "got $1 million in sales, that's a nice bit of gravy...
knowing the main release isn't happening the way it should be,"
said Gitesh Pandya, editor of boxofficeguru.com.
The theatrical release so far amounts to less than 10 percent of
the cinemas that had been planned for a wide release in the
United States and Canada. The film was expected to gross at
least $20 million over the long holiday weekend if in wide
release, according to Boxoffice.com.
TIDE TURNING TOWARD ONLINE
The day before Christmas, Sony Pictures released the movie
online via Google Inc's YouTube and Google Play, Microsoft
Corp's Xbox gaming console and a Sony dedicated website. Sony is
looking for more partners for digital distribution, though
hundreds of thousands of people have reportedly downloaded the
film from pirate sites.
The controversy gave the film exposure to audiences that might
never have gone to see it otherwise, and many who showed up on
Christmas Day said they were there to support free speech.
One of those was David Humdy, 65, an entertainment industry
accountant who saw the film in Los Angeles and declared it
"silly, entertaining, better than I thought."
The extensive press coverage could also boost the film in
overseas markets, where Rogen and Franco are not yet big stars.
Pandya believes Sony Pictures will be able to absorb losses
easily, as it is not unusual for a film of such a budget to fall
short.
"It's hard to find a way that they recoup it all because they
did end up spending a lot of money on marketing for a theatrical
release that never happened," he added.
But the fracas forced Sony to explore more fully a territory
looming on the Hollywood horizon: "day-and-date" simultaneous
VOD and theatrical release. VOD deals tend to give studios a
higher slice of revenue than the 50-50 split they share with
U.S. and Canadian movie theaters.
"If this does really well, obviously, the tide will keep turning
towards online," said Bock. "It could send ripples down the line
in terms of how Hollywood is going to release its products."
(Editing by Leslie Adler)
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'The
Interview' makes $1 million before online revenue rolls in
