Netflix says it wants to make ‘The Interview’ available to its 53 million subscribers

PASADENA, Calif. – Netflix wants to make Sony’s “The Interview” available to its 53 million worldwide subscribers, the streaming service’s chief content officer said Wednesday.

Ted Sarandos of Netflix would not comment on efforts to make that possible, however. The movie starring Seth Rogen and James Franco is available on some other video services and in some independent theatres, after its wide release was cancelled due to the Sony hacking scandal.

“People want to see the movie and we want to be able to deliver the movie,” Sarandos told reporters at a television conference.

Sony declined to comment on the possibility of a Netflix airing, a spokesman said.

Rogen and Franco play journalists involved in a CIA plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Before the movie could be released, the Sony studio’s computer system was hacked by unknown assailants linked to North Korea, leading the studio to ditch plans to release the movie widely on Christmas day.

Even without Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment said this week that “The Interview” has been rented or purchased online more than 4.3 million times, totalling over $31 million in consumer sales. Sony says that has made it the company’s top online film ever; it has made $5 million in theatre box offices.

“The Interview” has been available through Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and various video-on-demand services.