The Interview was pulled from nationwide theaters in America after the Sony hack attack perpetrators threatened theaters that it would launch terrorist attacks of the magnitude of 9/11. Sony then agreed to cancel The Interview premiere and many thought that the film would be buried and we would never get a chance to see it. That didn’t happen thankfully, as many public figures as well as the U.S. President Barack Obama voiced their concerns about Sony giving in to a handful of terrorists that want to mess with freedom of speech. Consequently, Sony contacted various companies and asked about how they could distribute the movie without a major risk.
After a few days, Sony and theaters in every American state decided that The Interview should not be blocked and banned and hidden under a stone, rather it should premiere and people should get a chance to see a comedy that isn’t necessarily good, but it does represent the U.S. freedom of speech and the power to mediatize things that might not have seen the light of day without it. Not that we weren’t aware of the atrocious human rights violations committed by North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un, but raising awareness about a country that is be-ridden by a tyrant can always do some good for people affected.
After Sony reached out to companies about releasing The Interview online, Google, Youtube and Microsoft decided that they would be in on the deal and stream the movie on their platforms. Now, you can watch The Interview on its official website, as well as rent it or even buy it (for cheap) on Youtube, Google Play and Xbox Video. The Interview is now available in Canada and the U.S., but an international release is yet to be seen. Nonetheless, releasing the controversial movie involving the assassination of Kim Jong-Un in the U.S. and Canada is a big step forward. It proves that malevolent people who would rather shut freedom of speech down have no power over citizens of these countries and we are glad to see the action didn’t have an repercussions so far. We hope The Interview will continue on a safe path without putting people in danger. Props to Sony, Google, Microsoft and Youtube for making this movie available to a wider audience than we would have thought when we first heard about the threats.