Sony Is Streaming 'The Interview' Online

“The Interview” is showing after all — everywhere. And it didn’t even have to wait for Christmas Day.

Sony Pictures Entertainment, which drew widespread criticism for canceling the theatrical release because of threats from hackers, completed a stunning reversal Wednesday and made the movie available for online streaming.

Sony had already allowed theaters to show the movie beginning on Thursday. By Wednesday afternoon, it was renting for $5.99 on Google Play, YouTube and Microsoft Xbox, and through a dedicated website.

In a blog post, David Drummond, the chief legal officer for Google, said the security concerns were “very much at the front of our minds.”

“But after discussing all the issues, Sony said Google agreed that we could not sit on the sidelines and allow a handful of people to determine the limits of free speech in another country (however silly the content might be),” he wrote.

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“The Interview” is a Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy about a plot to kill the North Korean dictator.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Hackers humiliated Sony by hacking into its computer system and gaining access to the personal information of employees and to embarrassing emails sent by executives. The FBI later blamed the North Korean government for the hack.

The hackers also threatened an attack on the scale of Sept. 11 against theaters that showed it. When movie theaters took a pass, Sony canceled the release. Hollywood stars and even President Barack Obama called it a mistake.

IN-DEPTH

• 'The People Have Spoken!': Praise for Sony Release of 'The Interview'

— Erin McClam