The Interview Movie Box Office Takings Leave Sony a $30 Million Loss

Sony Pictures Entertainment could lose at least $30 million after pulling out "The Interview" from major U.S. theater chains on Dec. 25 in response to a direct threat against theaters by the group responsible for hacking the Sony studio.

The National Association of Theater Owners (N.A.T.O.) said the limited release of the controversial comedy flick in the Unites States, Mexico and the United King Kingdom will not be able to make up for this loss despite "starry-eyed" comments suggesting that Sony's simultaneous-release move marks a paradigm shift.

"In this simultaneous-release game, Sony is $30 million in the hole and almost out of cards. The only game changed here was just how much Sony left on the table," N.A.T.O. Vice President Patrick Corcoran said, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Corcoran made the comments in a lengthy column he wrote this week for Boxoffice Magazine, an official N.A.T.O. publication.

N.A.T.O. earlier kept mum on the R-rated comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as two bumbling journalists hired by the C.I.A. to assassinate North Korean President Kim Jong Un.

Last week, Sony announced that the release of the film has grossed over $5 million since Dec. 25, raking in more than $31 million in digital sales and rentals since late last year.

The company also expected the movie, which prompted a cyberattack on Sony in late November, to get an added boost when it hits selected theaters in Britain and Ireland as well as Mexico on Feb. 8.

It is widely believed that "The Interview" may have prompted a sophisticated cyber-attack on Sony that resulted in leaked emails, film budgets and the personal information of thousands of employees, the Variety said.

North Korea earlier expressed fury over the movie, describing its release as an "act of terror" since it featured a plot that includes the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

On Dec. 17, the nationwide release of "The Interview" was initially cancelled after theater chains in the U.S. refused to screen the picture due to threats from a hacking group.

Earlier, Sony's chief executive Kazuo Hirai slammed the "vicious and malicious cyber-attack" on its systems that resulted in the release of confidential data.

The hacking, which began late November, left Sony crippled for weeks as it exposed personal information, unreleased films and embarrassing emails between executives of the studio.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation blamed the cyberattacks on North Korea, claiming it was a response to Sony's plan to release "The Interview." Pyongyang vehemently denied the allegations.

On Jan. 5, North Korea denounced the United States for imposing sanctions in retaliation for the Pyongyang regime's alleged cyberattack on Sony Pictures.