'The Interview' Still Managed To Come Out on Top

Despite the Sony hackers' best efforts to make sure The Interview never saw the light of day, they've officially failed — and in a pretty huge way. After the studio announced last week that they would be pulling the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy from theaters after threats of a 9/11-style attack, they received plenty of backlash. As some critics of the decision said, why let hackers (and potential terrorists) win? In the end, Sony quickly changed their tune, and it's a good thing they did, because The Interview killed it at the Christmas Day box office.

In fact, the movie may have only been released in 311 independent theaters, but according to CNN, it still managed to make $1 million, and some of those theaters said that the movie was sold out. By the end of the weekend? It could bring in as much as $4 million. Definitely good news for a film that had so much drama surrounding it... and, of course, there's a good chance that the supposed North Korea/hacking issue accidentally made for some good publicity. I'm far more inclined to see The Interview because someone tells me I can't, and I'm sure plenty of other people feel the same way.

And keep in mind that going to the movies wasn't the only way to see The Interview — there were also digital options, too. For $5.99, you can download the movie on Google Play, XBox Video, and YouTube Movies, and on Christmas night, it scored the top spot on all three streaming services. That's insanely cheaper than going to the movies, with the added bonus of watching the movie from the comfort of your own home, if you were worried that the threats could be serious.

As someone who attempted to watch The Interview but fell asleep halfway through it because she woke up way too early to open Christmas presents, it's definitely not surprising that it's doing so well, even if it could have made a lot more money if the movie was never pulled from big chain theaters in the first place. Judging by the half I saw before I was unconscious, it's definitely good enough to watch again when I'm more awake.