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Netflix will begin streaming 'The Interview' on Saturday

The movie makes its debut on the streaming video service 30 days after its limited theater run and online debut.

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Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
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Roger Cheng

The next stop for controversial comedy "The Interview": Netflix.

'The Interview' will make its debut on Netflix this Saturday. Sony Pictures/Screenshot by CNET

The online streaming video service said Tuesday that the film, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as Americans who get the opportunity to interview the leader of North Korea, will debut on its site on Saturday.

"The Interview" hits Netflix 30 days after the film began playing in a limited theater run and was made available for purchase or rental through online services such as YouTube, Google Play and Xbox Video. The film cost $6 to rent and $15 to purchase but will be available for free to Netflix subscribers.

Sony scrapped a wider release of the movie because of threats made to the national theater chains. The release came on the heels of a cyberattack on the studio that exposed thousands of sensitive e-mails and messages.

Sony said "The Interview" generated $40 million in consumer sales and was rented or purchased online more than 5.8 million times.

Netflix announced the availability in its letter to shareholders, in which it disclosed strong customer growth and a fourth-quarter profit that beat Wall Street expectations.