Reversing Course, Sony to Release 'The Interview' Thursday

In a reversal of its position from a week ago, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today that the film “The Interview” will have a limited theatrical release beginning Thursday.

“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/CEO Michael Lynton said. “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.”

Last Wednesday, Sony announced it was canceling the film’s release due to threats posted online by a hacking group claiming responsibility for a massive cyberattack on the Culver City studio. Federal authorities have since confirmed that North Korea was behind the cyberattack in retaliation for “The Interview,” a Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy focused on an assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Sony faced immediate backlash in Hollywood over its decision, with many accusing the theater of caving to the demands of the hackers at the expense of freedom of expression. Even President Barack Obama said he thought the studio made a mistake by pulling the film. “... We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States,” Obama said last week. “Because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don’t like, or news reports that they don’t like. Or even worse, imagine if producers and distributors and others start engaging in self-censorship because they don’t want to offend the sensibilities of somebody whose sensibilities probably need to be offended.

“That’s not who we are. That’s not what America’s about.”

Sony officials insisted they had no choice in canceling the planned Christmas Day release, because major theater chains across the country had announced they would not show the film in response to the threats. The company has insisted in recent days that they always intended for the film to eventually be released, but they had to delay the planned Thursday opening.

“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,” Lynton said today. “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.”

In its online threat last week, the hacking group “Guardians of Peace” warned of 9/11-like attacks on theaters that showed “The Interview.”

• City News Service