Sony Pictures' The Interview has raked in $31 million in online and video-on-demand sales since its unique Christmas Day release, Variety reports. Additionally, the controversial James Franco/Seth Rogen comedy has earned $5 million in its limited theatrical release.

Despite all the World War III rumblings surrounding the film's promotion, The Interview is roughly halfway toward recouping the $75 million the studio spent to produce and market the film.

The comedy initially was scheduled to open on about 3,000 screens on Christmas Day, but Sony pulled the film -- which stars Rogen and Franco as a producer and TV personality sent to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- following threats from hackers purportedly behind the massive Sony hack.

The Interview bounced back with a limited theatrical release as Sony prioritized online distribution methods for the film. Despite the threats, the film grossed $1 million in theaters on Christmas and $15 million in online sales in the days immediately following its release. The Interview became YouTube and Google Play's top-selling title of the year after just a week of release.