Sony’s comedy “The Interview” has become the bestseller on a pair of Google streaming sites — Google Play and YouTube Movies.
The controversial Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy is listed as the top download as of late Christmas night, ahead of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Maze Runner.”
The studio began streaming “The Interview” on Wednesday through the sites along with Microsoft’s Xbox Video and its own dedicated site, www.seetheinterview.com, for $5.99 or $14.99 for an HD version. None of the sites disclosed sales numbers.
Variety reported Wednesday that Netflix was in talks with Sony to stream the film to its subscribers. Apple and Amazon.com, the leaders in online movie sales and rentals, have not joined signed deals with Sony.
Sony’s PlayStation Video store said Wednesday that it would make the movie available in the U.S. “at a date to be determined shortly” but the site was hit by hackers on Christmas.
The movie began showing in more than 300 independent theaters on Christmas Day — its original release date before Sony announced Dec.17 that it was scrapping the release due to threats by the hackers behind the massive cyber-attack that began on Nov. 24. Sony did an about-face five days later in the face of criticism by President Obama.
Rogen and Franco portray a pair of bumbling journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean premiere Kim Jong-un.
