How Sony Will Still Get Their Money Back

I've been meaning to write about the #SonyHack scandal ever since it started. Of course, here I am now with days of new information, culminating to today's biggest blow of all: Sony gives in and cancels the release of "The Interview" from theaters.

Before Sony actually pulled the trigger, starting yesterday, they gave the option to theater owners like Regal, AMC to opt out of showing the film. One after the other, they decided not to put up "The Interview" on their screens. The domino effect was so predictable, and so quick, by 2pm, Sony put out a statement officializing the cancellation of the film across the board.

Since this morning, I've been saying that this could have been the best thing that could have ever happened to this movie. Seth Rogen + James Franco, it's a hit or miss. You don't make a silly film as good as "This is The End" twice! The word around the [Hollywood] streets was that the film wasn't so great in the first place either, I remember Variety's hilarious headline (which has now been edited since) which said something along the lines of "North Korea can rest easy, The Interview is an act of terrorism on film". Talk about a bad review! Nonetheless the Sony hack [unwanted] publicity could have definitely been welcoming for the box office numbers. People always end up wanting to see what the fuss is all about!

By noon, I was convinced they were going to find a way to release the film on VOD as fast as possible in order to make a gigantic profit of the scandal that way. People would have flocked to to their living room couch to watch the film from the comfort of their own home, safe from any potential terrorist attack. But then by evening, Sony released another statement saying they have absolutely no plan to release the film on VOD or in any other alternative format.

Quite frankly, THAT's a mistake. While I can understand why they couldn't take the risk to  become associated with putting viewers at risk in a public area...what's shaky about releasing it online?

Why decide to completely give in to the North Koreans? Gee, this sure is starting to feel like the plot of "The Interview 2". I started thinking...By showcasing to the best of their ability that they can't 'safely' release the film (not releasing it on any platforms would do that), they can then hit up whoever their bonded with insurance-wise for a much bigger claim. Think about it, when Paul Walker tragically and unexpectedly died before finishing The Fast And The Furious 7, Universal claimed what is right now considered one of the largest Hollywood-insurance-claims in history - A whopping $50 Million! In order to capitalize as much as possible and guarantee to recoup on the film, Sony must do whatever it takes for an even larger insurance pay-out. Not to mention writing the production and Publicity/Advertising  as a loss when filing for taxes! Is this truly Sony's plan? I don't know but, I think it's a valid explanation for now.

And in the mean time, let's all watch Team America...that'll piss off Kim Jon-Un.