Sony’s last minute Christmas Eve change of heart seems to have paid off, with its controversial film The Interview taking more than $15 million in online sales and rentals, it has been revealed.

In addition to the $2.8 million it made from its four-day opening run over 331 independent theaters that arranged to show the film on December 25th, good enough to put at 16th place in the box office charts, the comedy has become Sony’s highest grossing online release ever, according to Variety.

The Interview
The Interview has made over $15 million in online rentals and purchases since its availability on December 25th.

The studio made it available via YouTube, Xbox Video and Google Play for both rental and purchase. It is now available on iTunes, and Netflix is reportedly in talks with Sony to secure it for its streaming service.

Seth Rogen, one of the movie’s stars, was bowled over by the success, and said in a statement: “I'm so grateful that the movie found its way into theaters, and I'm thrilled that people actually went out and saw it.”

Sony’s Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution, added to the sentiments: “We are very pleased with how it is doing both theatrically where we are seeing numerous sell-outs across the country, and online where it remains at the top of many charts.”

More: So, you can watch The Interview online…

The original news, which had many onlookers concerned about the precedent it would set regarding censorship and freedom of speech, has drawn a substantial popular response. Sony says it plans to give The Interview the same style of limited release in Canada on Friday, with the movie being shown in 27 theaters across the country.

In slightly more light-hearted news, according to USA Today, a South Korean activist says he plans to airdrop The Interview over the border via balloons carrying DVD copies.

The small release has also become something of a social media success, owing to the unique nature of its rollout, with Rogen and co-star James Franco live-tweeting and interacting with fans when they both watched an on-demand version of the film on Sunday.

More: At the behest of North Korea, Sony cancels release of The Interview