Hulu’s Newest Comedy Movie Addition Almost Didn’t Get Released (But The Near-Cancellation Actually Worked in Its Favor)

Controversy isn’t always a bad thing, and that was certainly the case for a decade-old movie now streaming on Hulu that almost didn’t see the light of day. The Disney-backed platform is streaming plenty of new movies this November, giving subscribers the chance to revisit beloved films like 13 Going On 30, Julie & Julia, and The Sound Of Music. Among the round of arrivals on November 1st was the most controversial movie of 2014 – and it even sparked an international conflict.

We’re talking about The Interview, the Seth Rogen and James Franco-starring comedy that was described by North Korean leaders as an “act of war.” The movie, marking Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s second directorial work together, started streaming on Hulu on November 1st. The film stars Rogen and Franco as talk show hosts who find themselves recruited by the CIA for an assassination plot targeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a plot that sparked a real-life unprecedented international political controversy.

The Interview’s Infamous Legacy

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Few films are as notorious as The Interview, and for all of the wrong reasons. The assassination plot at the center of the movie sparked condemnation from the North Korean government, which called its production and distribution an “act of war” and “the most blatant act of terrorism” and threatened “a merciless counter-measure” if the film was released. This resulted in Sony delaying the film’s release in order to tone down violence, including Kim Jong Un’s death scene, and in November 2014, Guardians of Peace, a hacker collective that reportedly has ties to the North Korean government, hacked Sony’s computer systems and issued threats against any theaters that planned to show the film.

The international controversy ultimately worked in The Interview’s favor. The movie was poised to be just another goofball comedy and one that was ultimately described by critics as a “middling” or “unessential” film, but the conflict generated significant public attention and put the film on many people’s radars. Although the movie was pulled from theatrical release and headed straight for online digital rental and purchase, it grossed $40 million in digital rentals, making it Sony’s most successful digital release.

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Although The Interview only managed to secure a 51% critic score and 48% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it remains one of the most infamous movies and heavily influenced distribution strategies, proving the significant revenue potential of digital distribution.

What’s New on Hulu?

Hulu’s streaming library is getting bigger this November. The streamer is set to roll out new titles throughout the month, but the biggest wave of arrivals hit on November 1st, when dozens of movies were made available for streaming. Hulu subscribers can now watch films like A Knight’s Tale, The Color Purple (2023), Eragon, The Jane Austen Book Club, and The Last Duel. Hulu is also in the festive spirit and has already stocked a handful of Christmas movies, with everything from the 1947 and 1994 Miracle on 34th Streets to Deck the Halls now streaming.

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