NATO has finally spoken out about The Interview. No, not the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. We're talking about the National Association of Theater Owners, which has estimated Sony will lose "at least" $30 million on the Kim Jong-un-instigating film.
NATO Vice President Patrick Corcoran spoke out in a 1,700-word column for Boxoffice Magazine. He dismissed praise of the indie theater and VOD release as "starry-eyed," writing: "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."
Corcoran broke out the calculator to back up his estimate:
"We haven't heard any new digital dollar figures from Sony since Jan. 4, so it's a little hard to estimate where it will end up, but I'm feeling generous. Say $50 million. Given the chaotic nature of the ad-hoc release plan and Sony's desperation to play the movie on any home-release platform that would take it, I'm going to assume, less generously, that Sony pockets 60 percent of that sum instead of the customary 70 percent."
Even Sony's plans to release a "Freedom Edition" on DVD and Blu-ray didn't impress the NATO VP. And while his comments give off a hint of bitterness because he just so happens to represent a conglomerate of businesses directly gutted by not showing The Interview, he's probably right.
A game changer The Interview is not. At least it's been fun, though.
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[via THR]
