DUNAWAY
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
During the break, you likely caught wind of the strange and terrible saga that was the controversial Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy “The Interview.”
The timeline of events that lead to the film’s rollercoaster of a release week began back in June, when the North Korean Foreign Ministry released a statement saying the film, which — if you don’t already know — details a convoluted and comedic plot to assassinate Kim Jong-Un, was an “act of war.”
In the film, James Franco plays an extremely popular celebrity talk show host named Dave Skylark, who receives the opportunity of a lifetime when his producer, Aaron Rapaport (Rogen), books him an in-person interview with the leader of the militarized nation of North Korea.
The CIA approach Skylark and Rapaport, asking them to eliminate Kim Jong-Un. The CIA believes that Un’s death will lead to a successful uprising and revolution of the Korean people.
In their statement, the Ministry also asserted that the film, which, it should be reiterated, stars the two pot-head burnouts from “Freaks and Geeks,” was “reckless U.S. provocative insanity.”
Skip ahead to November, when another statement from North Korea threatened “catastrophic consequences” for the release of the comedy by the guys who brought you “This Is the End” and “Neighbors.”
One week later, during Thanksgiving week, employees at Sony Pictures Entertainment found their computers invaded by an image of a grinning skull and the message “this is just the beginning” on their screens.
Five Sony releases, which included “Fury” and “Annie,” were leaked online and downloaded by millions. It becomes clear to Sony that a huge amount of their company’s data has been compromised.
On Dec. 1, thousands of emails and other documents pertaining to Sony executives and employee’s salaries are leaked online, immediately leading to hundreds of media outlets to publish the stolen material.
That week, Sony employees receive emails from the hackers responsible, calling themselves the “Guardians of Peace.” The emails threaten the employee’s families if they don’t renounce their company.
North Korea is strongly suspected of being behind the cyber-attack, due to similarities between this hack and the hack on South Korean businesses, perpetrated by North Korea.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, North Korea denies involvement.
In the ensuing weeks, scripts are leaked, financial spreadsheets are deleted, and Sony’s stocks are plummeting.
On Dec. 16, the Guardians of Peace sent an email to various news outlets, stating “we will clearly show it to you at the very time and places The Interview be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.”
The Sony hack, now a prime example of cyber-terrorism, suddenly became a matter of Homeland Security. North Korea becomes the number one suspect.
By Dec. 23, mainly due to nearly all major theatre chains refusing the show the film, Sony has scrapped all plans for a Christmas release of “The Interview,” a decision that is derided by many as an act of negotiating with terrorists and simply giving in to the demands of the hackers.
On Christmas Day, 2014, “The Interview” is made available online via YouTube Movies and Google Play for $5.99. In the first four days of its release, the film rakes in $15 million.
Despite being dropped by the large theater corporations, just over 300 independent movie theaters screen the film, bringing in a total of $5 million.
The budget for “The Interview”, according to IMDb. com, was $36 million, a figure that has very nearly been reached in box-office revenue.
Sony has almost made its money back, which is surprising, considering that just two weeks ago it appeared as though Sony had a catastrophe on their hands.
The hacking of Sony and the insanity that followed was unprecedented for Hollywood.
In terms of scope and lasting effect, it blows last year’s nude photo leak completely out of the water.
It’s made a farcical, screwball comedy into a successful art house film, a film that has broken records left and right when it comes to digital release revenue.
Yes, “The Interview” is stupid (and hilarious), and yes, Sony pulling the film from its initial release has set a disturbing precedent that we may not see the residual effects of for some time, but Hollywood, and the way those within Hollywood think about the way people want to see and consume films, has changed, to some extent for the better.
To be bold, it’s as though we’re now living in a “post-Interview” world; a world where the standards what can and can’t be controversial and revolutionary are set differently for all types of films, not just comedies. But isn’t the fact that those standards have been altered because of a comedy pretty cool? I think it is.
You should watch “The Interview,” though not simply because it’s a game-changer. You should watch it because it’s funny; it’s crass, it’s irreverent, it’s dumb, and you should watch it because there are people out there who don’t want you to.
