Interview to screen amid hack threats
Sony Pictures says it will screen madcap comedy The Interview in some US cinemas on Christmas Day, a dramatic U-turn after its widely criticised decision to cancel the film after a cyber-assault blamed on North Korea.
Just six days after cancelling the film's opening, in a move decried as a defeat for freedom of speech, Sony chief executive Michael Lynton confirmed that the movie would now be shown in cinemas on Thursday.
"We have never given up on releasing The Interview and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theatres on Christmas Day," said Lynton on Tuesday, adding that the film would be released on more "platforms" in the future.
The release is likely to be limited to smaller movie chains. The New York Times reported that only 200-300 cinemas were expected to show the film, a fraction of the estimated 2500 theatres originally expected to screen it.
On Tuesday cinemas in Austin, Texas and Atlanta were among the first to confirm plans to show the movie.
Sony's turnaround was the latest twist to a crisis that has engulfed the studio and The Interview, a screwball romp about a fictional plot by two US journalists embarking on a mission to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
North Korea has been accused by the United States government of launching a crippling cyber attack on Sony which saw the release of a trove of embarrassing emails, scripts and other internal communications, including information about salaries and employee health records.
Pyongyang has repeatedly denied involvement in the hack but has applauded the actions of a shadowy online group which claimed responsibility for the cyber attack, the self-styled "Guardians of Peace".
Pressure to withdraw the film overwhelmed Sony last week after a series of major US cinema chains said they would not show the film.
It followed chilling threats by the "Guardians of Peace" which suggested cinemas screening the movie would be targeted with attacks.
But Sony's cancellation was condemned throughout the entertainment industry as a capitulation in the face of intimidation.
Even President Barack Obama, who has accused North Korea of carrying out an act of "cyber-vandalism" against Sony, said the studio had made a mistake by scrapping the film.
Obama applauded Sony's change of mind.
"As the President made clear, we are a country that believes in free speech, and the right of artistic expression," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters.
Comedian Seth Rogen, the movie's co-director, lead actor and screenwriter, hailed Sony's startling volte-face.
"The people have spoken! Freedom has prevailed! Sony didn't give up! The Interview will be shown at theatres willing to play it on Xmas day!" he wrote on Twitter.
