It's quite possible that The Interview has caused more trouble than any movie before it. Of course, making a film about assassinating a real-life dictator may not have been the best plan, but few could have ever expected that a simple comedy would lead to an international incident. The Sony hacking and North Korean threats are unlike anything else in history - again, all of this was caused by a Seth Rogen/James Franco movie.
Of course, the big shock came when Sony decided to cancel the film's Christmas Day release. Many felt that, following threats of violence against movie theaters that showed the film, Sony should have cancelled the movie. However, many more felt that backing down in the face of these threats was a sign of weakness, that we were giving in to terrorist threats. Free speech was under attack, and with the movie's cancellation, people felt that we had lost.
Apparently, the fight wasn't quite over: this appeared on Twitter earlier today:
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
If you didn't know, Tim League is the creator of the Alamo Drafthouse, a small theater chain running in several cities throughout the United States. Something similar was posted by Plaza Atlanta, another theater chain:
Breaking Plaza News: The Interview will open Exclusive on 12/25 . The Plaza will be one of the few theaters in the nation to open the film . — Plaza Atlanta (@PlazaAtlanta) December 23, 2014
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
It's a huge move: at first, it seemed that Sony was dedicated to stopping any showings of The Interview after the largest theater chains began to drop their support of the film. However, it seems that the smaller theaters are stepping up to fill the void, and seeing as how these are officially sanctioned viewings, it's a definite win-win. Movie-goers will still get to see the film, and Sony won't lose the millions of dollars it invested in the film's production.
As they say, that's not all: it's also being reported that select video-on-demand distribution services will also screen The Interview. The Wrap reports that Sony will announce a distribution plan later today, and while specific services were not mentioned, it's safe to assume that Dish Network will not be one of the included platforms (as talks between the two companies fell apart this past week).
After everything that's happened, it's beginning to look like viewers will indeed get a chance to see The Interview. Hopefully the threats of violence against the theaters will not come to pass - at the very least, those supporting the film and free speech have won for now.
The Interview is set to open in select theaters on Christmas Day.
