Sony Claims No Financial Damage As ‘The Interview’ Earns Digital Millions

Sony claims that it does not foresee any significant financial damage from the cyber attack that North Korea launched on it in retaliation for it producing The Interview.

Reuters reported that the Sony CEO spoke on January 6 at the Consumer Electronics Show about the cyber attack.

“Sony Corp Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai on Tuesday said he does not expect the November cyber attack on the company’s film studio to have a significant financial impact, two weeks after the studio rolled out the movie at the heart of the attack.”

The same article later clarified Hirai’s remarks.

“‘We are still reviewing the effects of the cyber attack,’ Hirai told reporters. ‘However, I do not see it as something that will cause a material upheaval on Sony Pictures business operations, basically, in terms of results for the current fiscal year.'”

Reuters added that The Interview cost $44 million to make and, so far, has earned $31 million through a combination of online, cable, and satellite revenues.

The Wall Street Journal reported that The Interview broke at least one record for Sony.

“The Sony Corp. studio revealed that consumers bought or rented the Seth Rogen comedy more than 4.3 million times between its Dec. 24 debut and Jan. 4, making it the Sony Corp. studio’s most successful online movie ever.”

Online viewing of The Interview apparently is dwarfing theatrical viewing, according to the same article, saying that the film “has grossed just over $5 million at the box office.”

In case you missed the #SonyCES Press Conference, we’ve got you covered. Watch now. http://t.co/4KGdijwKZw

— Sony Electronics USA (@SonyElectronics) January 6, 2015

Meanwhile, as Sony continues reviewing the effects of the cyber attack, people still are debating whether North Korea was behind it as the U.S. government has assessed.

The Huffington Post reported that cyber security experts and some former Sony employees believe that a Sony insider is responsible for the attack.

“A former Sony executive, who wished to remain anonymous to protect his relationship with the company, told HuffPost that about 100 former employees in a private Facebook group participated in an informal survey about the hack in December. ‘By a vast majority, former employees believe it was an inside job,’ he said.”

But the same alleged former Sony employee also noted that an insider does not negate North Korean involvement.

“The Sony executive, who does not have internal knowledge of the company or FBI’s investigations into the hack, said that it’s ‘possible that a former employee was involved,’ but said he believed ‘this wasn’t a one-person job.’ He added, ‘Whether it was North Korea, or a hacker group, or an individual from Sony Pictures, these are not mutually exclusive.'”

The Inquisitr previously reported on how the U.S. government has classified intelligence on the cyber attack on Sony, and how the possible involvement of a Sony insider would not negate North Korean responsibility.

[Image via AP/Jae C. Hong]