'The Interview' illegally downloaded 750,000 times on Christmas

"The Interview" was a big hit with pirates on Christmas.

There are thousands of people currently sharing the movie illegally on BitTorrent. On Christmas, about 750,000 people stole digital copies of "The Interview" by using the file-sharing software, according to piracy blog TorrentFreak.

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing network, allowing people to upload, share and download content. Though there are legitimate purposes for the software, it is largely used as a way for people to host and download pirated movies and TV shows.

Sony (SNE) Pictures opted to release the movie digitally on Wednesday, a day before it hit theaters. That simultaneous digital and theatrical release concerned movie theater chain owners. They worried that making the movie available online would increase piracy and keep people from buying tickets.
But piracy did not appear to have much of an impact on movie theater attendance. "The Interview" had a very limited release: just 331 independently owned movie theaters opted to show the film, and many reported sell-out crowds on Thursday.
Related: For moviegoers, 'patriotic duty' to see 'The Interview'
"The Interview" also scored a lot of legal digital purchases as well. Though Sony said it would not provide the number of online streams, the movie soared to YouTube's No. 1 most-streamed movie on Christmas. "The Interview" also was available for streaming on Google (GOOGL, Tech30) Play, Microsoft's (MSFT, Tech30) Xbox and a special website set up by Sony.