Sony Pictures expands distribution of ‘The Interview’

Sony Pictures Entertainment announced Wednesday that it would continue its rollout of “The Interview” by adding new video-on-demand platforms, pay-per-view services and about 200 more theaters.

The studio said the new platforms would include iN DEMAND affiliates such as Bright House Networks, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. It will also be available on VOD and pay-per-view services of Charter Communications, Cablevision, AT&T U-verse TV, Verizon’s FiOS and DirecTV.

Audiences will also be able to view the film on the PlayStation Network starting on Thursday, the company said, and more than 580 independent theaters will screen the film.

“We have always sought the widest possible distribution for ‘The Interview,’ and want to thank our new partners for helping us make that happen,” Michael Lynton, chairman and chief executive of Sony Entertainment, said in a statement.

On Sunday, the studio reported that the Seth Rogen-Evan Goldberg comedy collected $2.8 million in 331 independent movie theaters and more than $15 million online since its launch on Christmas Eve.

The film, which stars Rogen and James Franco, is about the fictionalized assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Though it was originally intended as a wide-release film, Sony axed those plans on Dec. 17 after hackers threatened violence against movie theaters and most exhibitors declined to screen the film.

Amid criticism from President Obama, 1st Amendment activists, and moviegoers, Sony decided last week it would roll out the film to a limited number of theaters on Christmas Day.

The studio also announced that it would release the film on video-on-demand platforms including Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and a stand-alone website, https://www.seetheinterview.com starting on Christmas Eve.

The movie also was made available on iTunes on Sunday and on Vudu on Tuesday.

Rentals cost $5.99, while customers can pay $14.99 to buy the movie.

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