“The Interview” is not only selling out at the independent theaters that were brave enough to release it on Christmas Day, it’s the top downloaded movie on YouTube Movies, Xbox Video and Google Play.
Currently, the R-rated comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as two dimwitted entertainment journalists tasked with assassinating North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is the top-selling selection on both YouTube Movies and Xbox Video, while it has fallen behind “Guardians of the Galaxy” on Google Play, where it was no. 1 as of Christmas night.
The three á la carte streaming services joined designated Sony site (www.seetheinterview.com) in offering the Sony Pictures Entertainment release on Wednesday for $5.99.
Sales figures are not available.
In theaters, “The Interview” is expected to rake in between $3 million and $4 million by Sunday, while it has already grossed almost $1 million on Christmas Day alone.
Sony’s PlayStation Video store announced on Wednesday that it would make the comedy, co-directed by Rogen with Evan Goldberg, available in the U.S. “at a date to be determined shortly.” The Playstation Network, however, was down for most of the day on Christmas, along with Xbox Live, and hackers took credit for the disruption.