Sony Corp (SNE)’s ‘The Interview’ Is A Top Seller For Google Inc (GOOGL)

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s decision to help release Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE)’s “The Interview” seems to be paying off as the controversial movie is now the best-selling movie on YouTube Movies and Google Play.

As noted by Variety’s Dave McNary, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s pair of movie sites is showing the Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) movie as the top film currently in release.

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) as well as Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) helped Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) release the movie starring Seth Rogen and James Franco after the Japanese entertainment giant earlier rescinded the movie from worldwide release following a massive cyber attack.

The cyber attack has left Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) reeling with sensitive documents including emails leaked. Personal information of its employees were also uploaded by the attackers to the Internet.

North Korea, the subject of “The Interview” which portrays Rogen and Franco as a pair of entertainment television personalities suddenly tasked by members of the U.S. government to kill North Korean leader King Jong-un, has been identified by authorities in America as connected to the hacking.

However, North Korean has denied any responsibility for the attack but did praise the attackers for the move.

Sony backtracked with “The Interview” release after hackers threatened violence against its employees and people who will go see the film. President Barack Obama has expressed that he thinks it was a mistake for Sony to not proceed with the film’s release. He also promised that the U.S. will retaliate at a time it chooses.

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has said that releasing the film is in line with its commitment to not let censorship win over free expression.

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shareholders includes Andreas Halvorsen’s Viking Global which reported owning 923,500 shares in the internet giant by the end of the third quarter. Also by the end of September, Mario Gabelli’s GAMCO Investors reported owning about 5.35 million shares in Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE), a 76% increase in the institutional investor’s stake in the company quarter-over-quarter.