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‘The Interview’ Tumbles at Box Office as VOD, Streaming Expand

With Sony comedy now available on cable, satellite and online, it takes in just $1.1 million from 581 theaters in 2nd weekend

| January 4, 2015 @ 10:35 AM

Sony Pictures

“The Interview,” the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy at the center of the Sony Pictures hack attack, had a soft second weekend at the box office.

It took in $1.1 million from 581 mainly smaller and independent theaters over the three days. That’s down from the $2.8 million it took in at the box office in its four-day debut in 331 theaters over the previous weekend.

But with “The Interview” now available on virtually every major cable, satellite and online platform, it doesn’t make sense to apply typical box-office logic when assessing the commercial success of the film.

Also Read: Will ‘The Interview’s’ $15 Million Online Haul Be a Game Changer for Hollywood?

The more significant figure last weekend was the $15 million that the R-rated comedy grossed in online rentals and sales. Sony elected to make the film available at several streaming sites the day before its Christmas Day theatrical debut.

This weekend’s grosses from VOD and streaming numbers are likely to be released in the next few days, but expect them to be significantly larger than the box office.

“The Interview, which has a $45 million production budget, was at one time set for a nationwide release in more than 2,000 theaters. But Sony scrapped that when a group claiming to be behind the cyberattack on the studio made terror threats against any theater playing the film.

Also Read: Sony’s ‘The Interview’ Gets Expanded VOD Distribution

Last week, Sony cut deals making “The Interview” available on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks. The studio had earlier added iTunes to the mix of online sites that initially offered it, including Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and Sony’s own streaming site.

The nation’s largest theaters chains, including AMC, Regal and Carmike, have boycotted the film’s release to protest Sony’s decision to offer it online the same day it hit theaters. That’s a hot-button issue for theater owners, who see concurrent online debuts as a threat to business.

Sony Hack Attack Timeline: From First Cyberbreach and Leaks to 'The Interview' Release (Photos)

  • Michael Lynton The Grill
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  • Sony Pictures
  • Sony
  • James Franco, Seth Rogen, "The Interview"
  • James Franco, Seth Rogen
  • Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Sony Pictures
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • "hacked by #GOP" message found on Sony computers
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Tom Hanks
  • Amy Pascal, Steve Mosko of Sony
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • Sony Marketing Layoffs
  • Sony Pictures
  • Movie posters for the premiere of the film 'The Interview' at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, California on December 11, 2014. The film, starring US actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, is a comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate its leader Kim Jong-Un, played by Randall Park. North Korea has vowed 'merciless retaliation' against what it calls a 'wanton act of terror' -- although it has denied involvement in a massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures, the studio behind the film. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
  • The Throwaways
  • Skyfall Daniel Craig James Bond 25
  • sony hack email nightmare
  • ArcLight Cinemas
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • The Interview movie poster, Sony logo, President Obama
  • the interview hollywood tweets
  • Team America World Police
  • The Interview movie poster, Sony logo, President Obama
  • Mike Myers as Dr. Evil on "The Interview."
  • reince priebus chief of staff donald trump health care bill punt end zone football twitter
  • Sony attorney David Boies
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As Sony CEO Michael Lynton prepares to exit, here’s TheWrap’s blow-by-blow of 2014’s devastating cyberattack on the studio

As Sony CEO Michael Lynton announces his resignation, let's look back at one of the darkest periods of his tenure: the Sony hack. 

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