“The Interview” is finally on iTunes, and no, it's not too late.

Within four days, Seth Rogen’s controversial comedy “The Interview”, grossed more than $15M, and reached 2 Million viewers, which doesn't include Sunday 28th, when Rogen live-tweeted the entire movie, as a further promotional stunt for online fans.

The numbers have been vastly dominated by YouTube and Google Play, as well as the 331 selected theaters authorized to show the movie, many of which reportedly sold-out very quickly.

Finally, on the 4th day of its release, iTunes users can purchase and rent “The Interview”. So far, Apple TV, and iOS users have been enjoying the much talked-about flick on available third-party apps like YouTube.

There has been plenty of commentary on why Apple waited this long to make Seth Rogen’s outrageous (and outrageously successful) comedy on iTunes. Some commentators opted for a justifiable fear of retaliation from hackers, however, Apple is not Sony, especially on the topic of cyber security, and, as usual, Apple acts like a veteran sniper, trained in the art of waiting until the target is ready.

The numbers are not in yet, and for that we might have to wait, but we can already see a method to the madness, which is the motivation of iTunes users to own the movie on their favorite platform, as the true success of a service like iTunes, Google Play or YouTube, is to be familiar place.

Apple’s way to test how well the system works

While a percentage of iTunes users have taken upon themselves to rent The Interview on other channels, including Xbox, there is a strong possibility that Apple might see big numbers from the sale of the movie, as iTunes users are likely going to add it to their library permanently, and here is why:

Apple has invested plenty in creating a comfortable and reliable ecosystem for Apple users, and AirPlay is one element that plays a part in testing how well the ecosystem works. The ability to stream content on an HDTV, from an iPhone or an iPad is one of the great perks about owning an iOS device, and being part of the iTunes ecosystem, in a similar way as Android users feel about the way they stream content through Google Play and Chromecast.

For a company the size of Apple, $12 million dollars, while not exactly spare change, it’s well worth holding off to, if it means getting the real score on how iTunes users react when they finally get access to a movie that is already successful. If this theory is correct, The Interview could make up in sales alone, as much as it already has in rentals, on other networks, since its release.