'The Interview': Here's when you can see it on Netflix

The controversial comedy was screened in some independent theaters and has previously been made available on such venues as Google Play and iTunes.

“The Interview,” the controversial comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco which centers on the attempted assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is coming to Netflix.

The film will be available on the streaming service in the U.S. and Canada beginning Jan. 24, according to Variety. 

“The Interview” stars Franco as an American TV host and Rogen as his producer. In the film, the leader of North Korea (portrayed in the film by actor Randall Park) is a fan of the show hosted by Franco’s character Dave Skylark. The CIA tries to convince Dave and Rogen’s character, Aaron Rapoport, to assassinate Kim. The film was co-directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who also co-directed the 2013 film “This Is the End.”

The studio that was planning to release “Interview,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, was hacked before the film's planned release and after the hacker group, which calls itself the Guardians of Peace, threatened movie theaters screening “Interview,” Sony decided not to widely release the movie as planned. It was subsequently screened in some independent theaters and came to other venues such as Google Play and YouTube Movies.

“Interview” was not well-received by critics and currently holds a score of 52 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic. Our own film reviewer, Peter Rainer, gave the film a C-,  writing of the movie, “’The Interview’ is in no sense a political movie. It’s a gross-out bromance with a tingle of political incorrectness. There was idiocy but no special bravery in making this movie… Ratcheting up the slobbola quotient, the filmmakers score occasional laughs, mostly from Randall Park as the Katy Perry-loving Kim and Diana Bang as the North Korean cutie who is officially in charge of the interview… If you want to see this movie because you consider it your patriotic duty, go right ahead. If you want to see it because you’re primed for a laugh riot, take a pass.”