“The Interview” has been more successful online than in theaters, racking up $15 million in online sales since its Christmas Day release.
In theaters, it’s made a fraction of that, at around $2.8 million over the same period of time. The first $1 million came from Christmas Day viewings.
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Only 331 theaters, many of them independent, ended up showing the film. Before the Sony hacking, it was slated for release in 3,000 theaters and expected to bring in around $20 million. According to CBS, the movie’s budget was reported to be around $80 million.
The simultaneous online-and-theater release tactic is generally frowned upon by theater companies. “The Interview’s” stars helped drive online purchases by live-tweeting the show on Sunday.
“I’m so grateful that the movie found its way into theaters,” Seth Rogen said Sunday, “and I’m thrilled that people actually went out and saw it. The fact that people actually left their houses when they had the option of staying home is amazing.”
“While this is a completely unprecedented circumstance without proper comparisons, we are very pleased with how it is doing both theatrically where we are seeing numerous sell-outs across the country, and online where it remains at the top of many charts,” a Sony employee told the Hollywood Reporter. “Most gratifying of all is hearing how people banded together to watch the film and have a good time.”
Not all internet users were showing Sony their love, however. It has also been pirated at least 750,000 times.
