Looks like the national outcry to release Seth Rogen’s The Interview in wake of the hack attack against Sony has resulted in Christmas Day showings of the film in select theaters, including both The Alamo Drafthouse in Dallas and The Plaza in Atlanta.
Drafthouse founder Tim League took to Twitter to announce that it is one of the few theaters to show The Interview, which is especially triumphant after Paramount cancelled showings of Team America: World Police the theater was originally going to show in lieu of the film. The Plaza announced its screenings and showtimes on Facebook.
Breaking news: Sony has authorized screenings of THE INTERVIEW on Christmas Day. We are making shows available within the hour. #Victory
— Tim League (@timalamo) December 23, 2014
It’s safe to say Sony has been emboldened by the support, since The Hollywood Reporter indicates that a day-and-date VOD release may also happen. We will keep you updated as the story unfolds, including hopefully, a full list of theaters where it will play.
In the action-comedy The Interview, Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show ‘Skylark Tonight.’ When they discover that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the most unlikely candidates, to ‘take out’ Kim Jong-un.
You can read our review here.
UPDATE: Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Entertainment, has just made an official statement on the matter, confirming that select theaters will screen the film Christmas day and that plans are underway to expand both theatrically and potentially via VOD (via Deadline):
“We have never given up on releasing ‘The Interview’ and we’re excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day. At the same time, we are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience.
I want to thank our talent on ‘The Interview’ and our employees, who have worked tirelessly through the many challenges we have all faced over the last month. While we hope this is only the first step of the film’s release, we are proud to make it available to the public and to have stood up to those who attempted to suppress free speech.”
