Entertainment
Box Office: ‘The Interview’ Earns $1 Million on Christmas; ‘Unbroken,’ ‘Into the Woods’ Surging to $40M
This photo provided by Columbia Pictures – Sony shows, James Franco, center left, as Dave, and Seth Rogen as Aaron, in Columbia Pictures’ “The Interview.” (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures – Sony, Ed Araquel)
(Variety) – Sony’s “The Interview” has delivered over $1 million on its opening day on Christmas — an impressive launch for a title playing in only about 300 independent theaters in the U.S.
The estimate for the controversial comedy came after a launch amid a barrage of news coverage with several theaters opting for midnight screenings. The Alamo Drafthouse chain had reported on Christmas Eve that it had sold out all of its opening day screenings at 17 locations.
The opening day numbers for “The Interview” may drop off in coming days, given that Sony launched a VOD release on Wednesday morning via YouTube, Google Play, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and its own http://www.seetheinterview.com site. Major chains such as AMC, Regal and Carmike are refusing to book “The Interview” due to the VOD release.
