The Interview takes €15m in online and theatre sales

Sony Pictures says that The Interview has earned more than $15m (€12.6m) in online sales and another $2.8m in theatres, an impressive return made possible by the publicity surrounding the cyberattack blamed on North Korea.

The comedy that depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un made almost as much money through online distribution and in limited theatres in its opening weekend as it would have in a wide release that was shelved after threats from hackers.

The studio said the film had been purchased or rented online more than 2 million times on the four days to Saturday, making it Sony Pictures’ number one online movie ever.