(PCM) Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s comedy The Interview has seen a mountain of controversy since the infamous SONY hack that damaged the reputations of some of the entertainment industry’s biggest players.
The controversy and scandal came to a head after the hackers behind the attack, calling themselves the “Guardians of Peace” and speculated as having ties to North Korea, threatened 9/11 style terrorist attacks on American theaters screening The Interview on its opening day, Christmas.
It only took a few hours for major theater chains to pull the film. Supporting the theaters, SONY issued a statement saying that they stood by the theaters’ decisions but were not going to officially pull The Interview from all theaters.
After almost every theater chain cancelled their scheduled screenings, SONY decided it would be best to scrap the film’s release. The backlash was immediate, with everyone from George Clooney to the POTUS criticizing the company’s self-censorship.
In the days that have followed, many discussions centered around the implications of SONY’s decision to comply with the threatening demands of the hackers. On the one hand, had SONY and theaters not pulled The Interview and people were injured or killed in a 9/11 style attack, the horror, loss, and pain would be unreal and everyone would wonder why lives had been lost for a comedy.
On the other hand, people were outraged that North Korea appeared to have a hold on America’s entertainment industry and what movies are released in the U.S.
Everyone knows that if you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll ask for milk, and as soon as theaters and SONY pulled The Interview, the hackers behind the attack demanded that all traces of The Interview be wiped from the internet and that the film not be released on home streaming services like video-on-demand.
It appears that SONY has decided to go back on their decision from just five days ago to completely pull the film from theaters and are allowing a limited release for The Interview on Christmas day.
The founder and CEO of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, Tim League, tweeted out the news Tuesday morning, saying: “Breaking news: Sony has authorized screenings of THE INTERVIEW on Christmas Day. We are making shows available within the hour. #Victory.”
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
Plaza Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia is also holding screenings of The Interview on Christmas day.
The Interview -Times Christmas Day 4pm 5pm 6:30 7:30 9:35 12/26 to 1/1 times will be announced tomorrow. On 2 screens — Plaza Atlanta (@PlazaAtlanta) December 23, 2014
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg also took to twitter to celebrate the news, tweeting:
The people have spoken! Freedom has prevailed! Sony didn’t give up! The Interview will be shown at theaters willing to play it on Xmas day!
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) December 23, 2014
Thanks to everyone who didn’t give up on our movie! @Sethrogen & I are humbled & overwhelmed by your support. Hope you enjoy the film!
— Evan Goldberg (@evandgoldberg) December 23, 2014
Stay tuned for more updates!
The post “The Interview” Will Open in Select Theaters on Christmas After All! also appeared on PCM Reviews.