SONY: No VOD Distributor Will Release 'The Interview'
REUTERS/Kevork DjansezianSony CEO Michael Lynton wasn't pleased when Obama stated Friday in a press conference that the studio "made a mistake" by pulling "The Interview" from theaters after threats from North Korean hackers.
CNNLynton responded by telling CNN's Fareed Zakaria that Sony "did not cave" and that "The president, the press, and the public are mistaken as to what actually happened."
The Sony exec explains the studio was forced to temporarily scrap the flick after major theater chains pulled out of showing the controversial film depicting the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
Despite telling Deadline on Wednesday that Sony Pictures had "no further" release plans for "The Interview," Lynton told CNN Friday: "We have always had every desire to have the American public see this movie."
The problem, says Lynton, is that "There has not been one major VOD or one major ecommerce site that has said they are willing to step forward and distribute this movie."
But he will need help from distributors willing to release it. "Again, we don't have that direct interface with the American public so we need to go through an intermediary to do that."
While Lynton is presumably referring to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, Sony also owns streaming platform Crackle.
"There are a number of options open to us and we have considered those, and are considering them," Lynton said. "It is still our hope that anyone who wants to see this movie will get the opportunity to do so."
Watch Lynton's full conversation with CNN's Fareed Zakaria below:
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