Sony sets ‘The Interview’ DVD, Blu-ray release for Feb. 17

Sony Pictures has set a Feb. 17 release date for the DVD and Blu-ray versions of “The Interview,” the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy that provoked the massive hacking attack at the studio.

The Blu-ray version, which is being marketed as the “Freedom Edition,” which will have a suggested list price of $19.99, while the DVD will carry a suggested list price of $14.99.

Franco portrays a celebrity talkshow host and Rogen is his producer in “The Interview,” in which the duo snag an exclusive in-person interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and are recruited by a CIA agent (Lizzy Caplan) to assassinate the dictator.

The studio was hit by hackers on Nov. 24 and decided on Dec. 17 to pull the film’s theatrical release in the face of threats of a terrorist attack. Sony reversed course six days later, launching the film on VOD a day before its Christmas Day theatrical release at 330 independent theaters.

Sony announced Jan. 6 that the film had grossed $31 million from online and video-on-demand revenues through its first week and a half in release. The comedy has also generated nearly $6 million in limited theatrical release.

The “Freedom Edition” Blu-ray disc includes 90 minutes of bonus feature content, including 14 deleted scenes, multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes, a seven-minute blooper reel and three “line-o-ramas” of alternate takes of jokes during filming. In one of the featurettes, “Here Kitty Kitty,” Rogen breaks down the experience of working with a real tiger.

Both the Blu-ray and DVD include the Discovery Channel TV special “Naked and Afraid,” starring Franco and Rogen, as well as commentary by Rogen and co-director Evan Goldberg.

Variety