Sony, YouTube to stream ‘The Interview’

The Interview won’t be screened in Canadian theatres on Christmas Day, a spokesperson at Sony Pictures confirmed to Breakfast Television on Wednesday.

Sony said the film will eventually be shown in Canada, but the release dates are currently being worked on.

Only select theatres in the U.S. will be screening the film on Thursday.

In a statement, Sony Pictures chair and CEO Michael Lynton said that it was always Sony’s intention to release the film on a national platform.

“Negotiations with digital providers began last Wednesday, and, as of this morning the film will be available in around 300 independently owned theatres starting Thursday,” Lynton said.

“We chose the path of digital distribution first so as to reach as many people as possible on opening day, and we continue to seek other partners and platforms to further expand the release.”

The Interview stars Vancouver’s Seth Rogen and James Franco as journalists who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The film, which provoked an international incident with North Korea, was set to open for wide release on Christmas Day Thursday.

However, the major multiplex chains in the U.S. and Canada dropped The Interview last week after hackers, allegedly backed by North Korea, threatened terrorist attacks against theatres showing the film.

Movie to be streamed online

Meanwhile, Sony said the movie will also be released on demand at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday on Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and a separate Sony website. It will cost $5.99 to stream.

It will also be available for rental on several digital platforms starting on Wednesday.

Sony’s original decision to shelve the movie drew fierce criticism, including from President Barack Obama, who chastised the company for what he deemed “a mistake” that went against American principles of free speech.

North Korea’s Internet was shut down in an apparent attack Monday following Obama’s pledge of a response to what he called North Korea’s “cyber vandalism” of Sony.

The White House and State Department have declined to say whether the U.S. government was responsible for the outages.

With files from The Associated Press

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