by Suevon Lee | @suevlee
editor@charactermedia.com
Call it an early Christmas surprise—Sony Pictures Entertainment said Tuesday it was planning a limited theatrical release of The Interview on Dec. 25 after all, just one week after the studio pulled the film when major theater chains canceled screenings following threats from hackers who launched a cyberattack on the company’s computer systems.
“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,” Sony Entertainment chairman and CEO Michael Lynton said 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.”
Among the first of the smaller, independent theaters that said they would screen the film were Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a chain based in Austin, Tex., and the Plaza Theater in Atlanta, according to news outlets.
Sony initially planned to release the satirical comedy starring Seth Rogen, James Franco and Randall Park on 2,000 to 3,000 screens in North America on Christmas Day—until large theater chains such as Regal, AMC and Carmike Cinemas pulled the plug on screenings.
KoreAm’s own planned advance screening of the film last Wednesday was nixed by the studio.
In the satirical film, Franco and Rogen play, respectively, a tabloid television host and his producer recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Over the last month, Sony Pictures fell victim to a massive cyberattack by a group calling itself Guardians of Peace, which exposed a trove of embarrassing emails among top studio executives in addition to documents containing sensitive data of Sony employees.
Last week, the FBI said North Korea was responsible for the attack while the country has denied involvement.
Some of those involved in the film voiced elation at Sony’s announcement of a limited theatrical release.
“Thanks to everyone who didn’t give up on our movie! @Sethrogen & I are humbled & overwhelmed by your support. Hope you enjoy the film!,” co-director and co-producer Evan Goldberg tweeted.
Randall Park, who plays the North Korean dictator in the film, is featured in KoreAm’s December/January issue. A profile on the actor can be viewed here.
