NEW YORK (REUTERS) - US satellite broadcaster Dish Networks said on Thursday it would make The Interview, the controversial Sony Pictures Entertainment film about the fictitious assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, available as a pay-per-view option starting on Jan 2.

Dish said The Interview would be available to rent in both high definition and standard definition.

The film has been blamed for triggering a massive cyberattack on Sony's movie studio.

On Dec 17, Sony cancelled the Christmas Day release of the movie after hackers threatened violence against movie theatres and some theatre chains refused to show it.

Sony is trying to recoup the US$44 million (S$58 million) production budget plus an estimated US$30 million to US$40 million in marketing costs for The Interview.

On Wednesday, Sony Pictures Entertainment made the film available through US pay television operators and sold it through Wal-Mart Stores' digital on-demand service, Vudu, and on Sony's PlayStation Network.

The film is also available through Apple's iTunes store, where it was the top-selling movie on Wednesday.