5 Ways to Save 'The Interview'

Diana Bang, Seth Rogen, and James Franco in The Interview

Is this the end of The Interview?

Today, the nation’s five top theater chains have reportedly refused to show the embattled Seth Rogen–James Franco comedy about an assassination attempt on Kim Jong-un. The move comes a day after media outlets received a letter from hackers threatening harm to any theater that screened the film.

Even in the movie business — an industry that’s seen countless controversial releases, from Baby Doll to The Last Temptation of Christ — there’s no playbook for how to handle the situation Sony now faces with The Interview. Assuming more theaters back out, the studio is left with a film that has no theatrical-release possibilities. So what do they do with the movie now? But here are five possibilities:

1. Send it straight to DVD or VOD

Pros: No one would accuse the company of risking moviegoers’ lives, while the filmmakers would get their movie in front of an audience — albeit not in the way they’d hoped. And, as far as (admittedly craven) financial considerations, go distributors make a much higher percentage (up to three or four times more) of the gross on VOD (iTunes, Google Play, cable systems, etc.) than they do on theater-ticket sales. Of course, The Interview would have to be a huge hit on VOD to rival what its theatrical take could have been — but can you think of a movie in the last few years with as much unexpected publicity and build-up?

Cons: Sony would essentially be surrendering its rights to free speech and artistic expression, all due to vague threats from a shady group that, thus far, has proven only adept at hacking. It’s a slippery slope: What’s to stop a teenage Star Trek fan with great computer skills from sending out missives that get Star Wars canceled?

Related: Report Says Top Theater Chains Drop ‘The Interview’

2. Stick the movie exclusively on Crackle

Pros: The Interview still gets seen by moviegoers, and all thanks to an online streaming service owned by the studio (and one could that use some high-profile visibility; as of now, Crackle is mostly known for hosting the forthcoming Joe Dirt 2).Sony would also get to keep whatever ad revenue would be generated…

Cons: …assuming any company actually wanted to be associated with the movie.

3. Have a nationwide, prime-time screening on a major cable network

Pro: This would be a way to event-ize the movie, sort of a super-sized version of what NBC has done with The Sound of Music and Peter Pan. Rogen and Franco and their friends could live-tweet with the movie, and it would no doubt be one of the highest-rated programs of the year. And it could help Sony avoid further awkwardness with theater-owners by removing them from the equation entirely.

Con: It’s doubtful that even the edgiest cable network would want to get involved in this mess, even if it means getting more eyeballs and attention. Plus, it’s hard to imagine Rogen and Franco would want their $44 million comedy become, essentially, a straight-to-cable release.

Related: Judd Apatow on 'The Interview’ Controversy: 'Ridiculous’

4. Take it on the road for a multi-city screening tour

Pro: This would be a middle finger on wheels, with Franco and Rogen touring their movie directly to fans — all of whom would pay big money to see a suddenly hard-to-find title — and proving they refused to back down.

Con: Booking venues might be tough. And it’d be impossible to make money from such an endeavor, no matter how much the company charges for a ticket.

5. Postpone The Interview

Pro: This would take at least some heat off the movie, and give authorities a chance to catch the hackers who’ve made these threats. Should that happen, theaters might feel safe about showing the movie — though who knows how long that will take.

Con: If they don’t catch the hackers, this whole circus starts up again.

Photo credit: Sony