Profit Motive.
Posted on 01/08/2015 9:54:36 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Sony’s controversial comedy flick earned $31 million in online sales and $5 million in theaters despite cyber threats and a wide theatrical release. The online sales figure marks the most lucrative digital release for a Hollywood film ever.
Sony Pictures' "The Interview" has made more than $31 million from its online and on-demand release, according to the studio.
Sony announced digital figures Tuesday for the film spanning its first 11 days of release since debuting Dec. 24. Sony had previously said the film made $15 million in its first four days online, so demand for the Seth Rogen comedy has slightly declined as Sony has added more platforms.
While $31 million constitutes the most lucrative digital release for a Hollywood film, "The Interview" stood to make more in a wide theatrical release. It had originally been forecast to earn about $30 million in its opening weekend alone.
Still, the significant total represents a sizable recoup for Sony after the film appeared dead. After hackers the FBI have said are North Korean threatened violence in theaters showing the film, North America's top theater chains pulled out of showing "The Interview" and Sony canceled its release entirely.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Yes, Virginia, there are THAT many idiots out there in this world.
The hoax worked. Good job, Sony.
It was better than any of the roughly 6 or 8? Will Ferrell movies that I have watched, always hoping that he will get some laughs from me.
I actually laughed a few times during this movie.
What possible motive could Sony have had for a hoax?
I thought this movie was pretty funny. But I was looking forward to it since last Fall when I saw the Trailer. You could do a heck of a lot worse.
I laughed a few times at this one. It was a good movie, really about these two guys who loved each other. Plus the guy who played Kim was good. The only thing that bothered me was the gross profanity.
I still think Sony realized this movie was going to bomb and made the whole thing up as a misguided marketing gimmick.
They were brilliant with this. There is no way that this movie would have made 36 million in the theaters especially at Christmas with all the great movies out during that time. I say Congratulations to pulling it off. It was a brilliant move that others are upset they didn’t think of it.
This hoax business is a persistent attempt by some people to look smart, because they can “see through” the hoax, where Sony went and committed corporate suicide to promote a minor movie.
Wake up people. The numbers do not make sense. Sony might lose the whole company over this. They lost a heck of a lot more than $40 Million.
RE: I actually laughed a few times during this movie.
I stopped after about 25 minutes watching it.... too much obsession with anal jokes.
The humor went in waves and there were a lot of funny moments, and it is rare to see an enemy actually mocked and humiliated, in a movie focused entirely on him.
Supposedly those 36 million dollars were very high profit/low overhead dollars, so they are worth more than movie ticket sales.
31 million, not the whole 36.
It probably would have been a $100 million movie. As stupid as it is Seth’s stuff is popular.
Anal jokes- because James Franco putts from the rough.
They don’t add up because, there is no shocking conspiracy.
That would be revenue not profit, so I'm guessing that even with $31M in revenue, the film is still in the red.
There is very little overlap between the audience for Unbroken and for The Interview, so it would have done fine among the other holiday releases. It had the stoner market locked up, and it certainly would have gotten better box office at 3,000 mall cineplexes than 558 indy theaters. And by releasing it online now, SONY has also cut into what it will be making in later releases (on-demand, DVD, etc.). And with the fallout for the hacking going beyond just the release of this one movie, SONY Pictures is on even more shaky ground than it was a year ago at this time.
Profit Motive.
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