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"We're pleased to offer 'The Interview' for rental or
purchase on the iTunes Store," Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said
in a statement.
The movie, steeped in gross-out humor depicting the travails of
two journalists who get enlisted to assassinate North Korea
leader Kim Jong Un, costs $14.99 to buy and $5.99 to rent on
iTunes, according to the website.
Apple was one of the later tech companies to sign on to carrying
the film via video-on-demand, and waited four days after
competitors first released it on their digital video platforms
on Dec 24.
Sony Pictures released the movie online via Google Inc's <GOOGL.O>
YouTube and Google Play, Microsoft Corp's <MSFT.O> Xbox gaming
console and a Sony dedicated website first made the movie
available last week after large movie theater chains refused to
screen the comedy following threats of violence from hackers who
opposed the film.
The movie was also shown in 331 mostly independent theaters,
which helped generate more than $1 million in sales on Christmas
day.
Until Sony discloses the online revenues, it will be 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.
(Reporting by Christina Farr and Edwin Chan in San Francisco and
Liana B. Baker in New York; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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