Less than a week after Sony pulled "The Interview" from theaters, the studio has reversed itself and set a limited theatrical release in the United States on Christmas Day.
"The Interview," directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg, will now open in several hundred independent cinemas rather than in the major chains. The studio's original plan had been for a wide release on Christmas at about 3,000 locations.
"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," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Entertainment in a statement. "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."
Seth Rogen wrote on Twitter: "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!"
Alamo Drafthouse, a Texas-based chain with about 20 locations, was among the first to announce that it would playing the film. CEO Tim League congratulated Sony for the move.
"We cannot imagine the pressures that have been affecting Sony, at all levels of the organization they have been under attack," he said. "Amidst this unwarranted chaos, they have regrouped and listened to the public, the government and the exhibition community and responded with resolve and determination. At 10:45 AM Sony bookers approved screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and other arthouse and independent theaters across the country."
In the Chicago area, The Hollywood Boulevard Cinemas of Woodridge confirmed Tuesday it would show the controversial comedy "The Interview" on Thursday. But as of Tuesday evening, no Chicago theater had committed with the distributor, Sony, to screen the movie, which depicts James Franco's airhead TV host character assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on screen.
"We're putting it all over social media that we're showing it," added Scott Potter, marketing manager for Hollywood Boulevard, which features food and drinks served during the movies. He noted there'd be no change to the theater menu in honor of "The Interview."
"We're not serving any Kim Jong-un burgers or anything like that," he said. Theater manager Bob Meyers said the movie would be confined to a single screen.
In Chicago, Music Box Theatre officials said that the Wrigleyville theater would not be reworking its calendar in order to show "The Interview." The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Tex., and Atlanta's Plaza Theatre, both well-known independent houses like the Music Box, have elected to book the comedy starting Thursday.
Downers Grove-based Classic Cinemas was one of many chains originally scheduled to show "The Interview" on multiple screens. On Tuesday Classic Cinemas head Chris Johnson confirmed that the chain's booking agent had discussions with Sony about a Christmas Day opening. But, Johnson said, "they also said it would be out on VOD," meaning the theatrical run of the movie would be competing directly with the film's on-demand platform. "If they'd done a limited theatrical-only release, we certainly would've looked at it."
Mike Moore, operator of the Hollywood Boulevard theater took a pointed approach to why he booked the movie. "Personally, I just don't understand how we would allow North Korea to dictate what goes on in the U.S," he said.
When "The Interview" was available, Moore said he immediately booked the film, "Primarily because it was the right thing to do." The theater had previously planned to show the movie before it was withdrawn.
Woodridge Police Department spokeswoman Traci Steger said Tuesday that the department had been in touch with the theater and that officers have been alerted to keep an extra watch on the premises. "We don't anticipate there being any issues," Steger said.
Officers on duty will keep an extra eye on the theater, she said, but no extra officer shifts or extra duties have been assigned in connection to the viewing.
Steger said authorities don't want to disregard any threat. "But at the same time you want to have a reasonable response," she said. "That's why we stepped up patrol but not necessarily initiating our emergency action plan."
Less than a week after Sony pulled "The Interview" from theaters, the studio has reversed itself and set a limited theatrical release in the United States on Christmas Day.
"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," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Entertainment in a statement. "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."
"The Interview," starring Seth Rogen and James Franco," will now open in several hundred independent cinemas rather than in the major chains. The studio's original plan had been for a wide release on Christmas at about 3,000 locations.Alamo Drafthouse, a small Texas based chain, was among the first to announce that it would playing the film. CEO Tim League congratulated Sony for the move.
"We cannot imagine the pressures that have been affecting Sony, at all levels of the organization they have been under attack," he said. "Amidst this unwarranted chaos, they have regrouped and listened to the public, the government and the exhibition community and responded with resolve and determination. At 10:45 AM Sony bookers approved screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and other arthouse and independent theaters across the country."
"This is the best Christmas gift anyone could give us," League also said. "We, both distributors and exhibitors, have collectively stood firm to our principles and for the right to freedom of expression. Two days til Christmas, and I am proud to be an American."
The Plaza Atlanta theater and Alamo Drafthouse announced Tuesday via social media that Sony Pictures has authorized them to show the film despite major exhibitors cancelling screenings in the wake of a cyber-attack that debilitated the studio.
In the Chicago area, The Hollywood Boulevard Cinemas of Woodridge confirmed Tuesday that it'll show "The Interview" starting Christmas Day. Theater manager Bob Meyers said the film would be shown on a single screen.
Woodridge Police Department spokeswoman Traci Steger said Tuesday that the department had been in touch with the theater and that officers have been alerted to keep an extra watch on the premises.
"We don't anticipate there being any issues," Steger said.
Officers on duty will keep an extra eye on the theater, she said, but no extra officer shifts or extra duties have been assigned in connection to the viewing.
Steger said authorities don't want to disregard any threat.
"But at the same time you want to have a reasonable response," she said. "That's why we stepped up patrol but not necessarily initiating our emergency action plan."
Also on Tuesday, Music Box Theatre programming director Brian Andreotti acknowledged that the Music Box was "exploring the possibility" of shaking up its current schedule to accommodate "The Interview," although chances were iffy.
There was also growing speculation that the studio will offer the film via VOD.
Sony had flatly stated on Dec. 17 that there were "no further release plans" but has been backing away from that assertion since then -- particularly following President Obama's declaration two days later that the studio had "made a mistake" in failing to release the film.Lynton stated in an interview with CNN on Friday that no on-demand providers had stepped forward to offer to handle the VOD release, but that may have changed in the past few days with the intense media coverage of "The Interview" situation. While a number of major theater chains have expressed displeasure at Sony for shifting the blame to them in the decision to pull "The Interview" from wide release, a group of independent exhibitors reiterated that they were willing to show the film in an open letter to Lynton and studio president Amy Pascal published Monday. A New York theater is also planning a live read of the film's screenplay for Dec. 27.
The FBI on Friday said it believed North Korea was behind the hack attack on Sony Pictures in retaliation for the comedy that involves the assassination of the nation's leader, Kim Jong-un. Later in the day, President Obama criticized Sony's decision to pull the film's planned Dec. 25 release after hacker org Guardians of Peace threatened violence against theaters that showed the pic."The Interview" imbroglio has sparked a national discussion about freedom of expression and the dangers of cyber warfare in the digital age.
Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips, Clifford Ward, Geoff Ziezulewicz and Variety contributed to this report.