According to a report by CNN Money, Sony is near a deal with Google to release The Interview as a rental on YouTube tomorrow, the same day it’ll be released at thousands of independent movie theaters around the country. The deal still isn’t final, and it won’t be exclusive, so it’s likely that it’ll also be available on other streaming/downloading services such as VOD. But it’s a groundbreaking move, especially in light of the fact that just a week ago Sony was claiming that it had no plans to release the movie – ever.
Obviously there’s no way that Sony is going to make back the many, many millions of dollars that this hack has cost them with just this movie, but this does have the potential to have The Interview be seen by even more people than it would have with just a traditional theatrical release. Oops, Kim Jong-Un! It backfired!
UPDATE: Looks like it’s actually coming out this afternoon at 1pm - it’ll be $6 to rent and $15 to own through YouTube, Google Play, and Xbox Vide.. Check out SeeTheInterview.com for all of the details.