The movie stands to be the first major feature to be released both in the theatres and for streaming at the same time, writes Samuel Mcculloch
Having just finished ‘The Interview,’ I can confirm that the controversy surrounding the movie is much more interesting than the two-hour long juvenile film released on Christmas. Personally, I can't remember a time before when a movie has generated so much controversy, but hype is usually unfounded as is the case here. However, while the quality of the film may not be what was expected (or exactly as it was thought), the last legacy of this film will not be for its plot, but whether it will serve as a successful model for digital distribution in the future.
In the lead up to the release of the film, Entertainment Inc was hacked and several terrabytes worth of data was stolen. The hack is considered to be the largest breach of security in the US ever. The scope and the nature of the attack will definitely force every major American corporation re-assess their operational security and take steps to ensure what happened to Sony does not happen to them.
What was to be the most damaging part of the hack, however, came several days later, when the same hacker group left a message for Sony Pictures. In it they claimed the following, making the statement that “Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made,” and “The world will be full of fear,” and “Remember September 11, 2001.” The last thing Sony wanted was a repeat of what happened in Colorado last year when a gunman walked into a theater killing more than 70 as retaliation for releasing the film. Thus, last week, after the four major theater groups in America decided they would not show the film, Sony decided to pull the plug on its $44 million dollar investment.
Now that the film has opened, the greatest unintentional marketing campaign has come to an end and I guarantee many people, like myself, chose to see the movie purely to see what all the hype was about. If any of Seth Rogan's previous films give a clue (Neighbors, Pineapple Express, This Is the End), the film is an explicative laden hodge podge of butt jokes, Katy Perry, and party montages. While there are a few funny lines, most of the film features Mr Rogan and James Franco either freaking out at each other, making tasteless jokes, Mr Franco giving a wonderful master class on how to use his eyebrows.
If the movie had been released by itself, I'm sure it would have been a minor success. It is definitely not as good as some of Mr Rogan's other features, but it does stand on its own. However, the movie has been under media spotlight for several weeks now and so the scrutiny of the film has been heightened greatly.
The movie, regardless of its quality, is breaking new ground. It stands to be the first major feature to be released both in the theatres and for streaming at the same time. The digital landscape has been bringing viewers closer to this eventual outcome for some time now. Television size and quality is near what cinemas can currently offer. In recent years, theaters have had to shift the focus of their business towards 3D and IMAX films, an experience currently not matched by their home counterparts. In this respect, the 2D cinema is slowly dying. Ticket sales have been down year on year, as more people stay home to watch films on DVD, Blue-ray or nowadays, streaming services such as Netflix. The cinema today is an overpriced archaic holdover, slowly dying in the face of 4k televisions and 5.1 home surround sound.
(Courtesy: Sputnik)