Apple begins offering 'The Interview' on iTunes
The controversial movie at the center of the Sony hack debuts in the US on iTunes four days after release on other video platforms.
"The Interview" has finally made its debut on iTunes, four days after it began streaming on a host of other Internet video sites.
The controversial movie at the center of a crippling security breach at Sony Pictures appeared on Apple's store Sunday morning. The movie, which has been available in the US and Canada since Wednesday on YouTube Movies, Google Play, Xbox and a dedicated Sony-built website, Seetheinterview.com, is available to rent on iTunes for $6 or to buy for $15 in the US.
The movie is not currently available to stream outside of North America.
The move appears to be a reversal in course for Apple, which had reportedly declined Sony's request to stream the comedy, which depicts actors Seth Rogen and James Franco as TV journalists planning to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The movie was slated to be released in theaters on December 25, but its release was initially canceled following threats of violence against theaters.
The threats were apparently made by hackers behind a security breach at Sony Pictures in late November that resulted in a massive and embarrassing spill of company secrets. The FBI has said that North Korea was behind the Sony hack.
President Obama chastised Sony for the cancellation, as did many celebrities and would-be viewers.
On Tuesday, Sony did an about-face, announcing that it would release "The Interview" in theaters that wanted to show it -- likely more than 200 cinemas. Sony also said that it was working on getting the movie into "more platforms and more theaters."
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.