--- description: Some U.S. theaters said Tuesday that they would screen Sony's film 'The Interview' on Christmas Day title: Sony Announces Limited Release of 'The Interview' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fc001d89ceaf351/69877711a988ca033f6ab942/the-interview-christmas.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Sony Announces Limited Release of _The Interview_ ## Video: The Interview Movie - Official Red Band Trailer [Watch (HLS stream): The Interview Movie - Official Red Band Trailer](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3G1aVkk5.m3u8) (2:40)  _Published 2014-09-22. The Interview Movie - Official Red Band Trailer_ by [Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 23, 2014 6:24 PM CUT  A billboard for the film The Interview is displayed Dec. 19, 2014, in Venice, Calif. A billboard for the film The Interview is displayed Dec. 19, 2014, in Venice, Calif.Christopher Polk—Getty Images by [Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 23, 2014 6:24 PM CUT It seems that Sony Pictures will release controversial comedy _The Interview_ after all. A week ago, the studio [canceled](http://fortune.com/2014/12/17/sony-cancels-interview/ "undefined") the film’s planned release after Sony’s systems were hacked and threats were made against national movie theater chains. But two independent theater owners said on Tuesday that Sony has informed them that they now will be able to screen _The Interview_ on Christmas Day. Sony later confirmed its plan to offer “a limited theatrical release” for the film in select U.S. theaters on Christmas. Tim League, founder and CEO of the Austin, Texas-based theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, announced the news on his Twitter page Tuesday afternoon: > [](https://twitter.com/timalamo/status/547435347882553344) And, this came from The Plaza cinema in Atlanta: > [](https://twitter.com/PlazaAtlanta/status/547256354793336833) “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, Sony Entertainment’s CEO, 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.” Lynton went on to thank Sony employees and those involved in the making of _The Interview_ — a comedy that stars actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, and which features an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The North Korean leader previously called the film “an act of war” and, last week, the FBI officially accused North Korea’s government of perpetrating [last month’s debilitating hack](http://fortune.com/2014/12/03/need-to-know-cyber-attacks/ "undefined") into the Sony Pictures computer system. North Korea has denied any involvement in the cyber attack. Sony called off plans to release _The Interview_ on Christmas last week after the five largest [national movie theater chains](http://time.com/3637565/interview-theaters-cancel/ "undefined") all balked at showing the movie on account of threats made by the hacker group Guardians of Peace, or GOP. President Obama expressed his regret that Sony made its decision to cancel the film’s release, [calling the decision “a mistake.”](http://fortune.com/2014/12/19/fbi-update-sony/ "undefined") Lynton has [maintained](http://uproxx.com/filmdrunk/2014/12/sony-ceo-responds-we-would-still-like-the-public-to-see-this-movie/ "undefined") the company’s desire to release the film to the public, leading some in the movie industry to suggest that the company might eventually consider [releasing the film](http://fortune.com/2014/12/17/sony-cancels-the-interview/ "undefined") through a video on demand service. “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,” Lynton added in his statement. **MORE**: [Here’s Where You Can Watch _The Interview_ on Christmas Day](http://time.com/3646156/where-watch-interview-theaters/ "undefined") On Tuesday afternoon, The Alamo Drafthouse had already [posted a link](http://drafthouse.com/movies/the-interview/dfw "undefined") to buy tickets to Thursday screenings of the film on the theater chain’s website. CEO Tim League issued a statement saying that Sony representatives just this morning approved screenings of the film at his chain as well as “other arthouse and independent theaters across the country.” “This is the best Christmas gift anyone could give us,” League said in a statement. “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.” Meanwhile, Michael Furlinger, a co-owner of the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, told CNBC that he plans to have increased security in place for the screening, but said he is “not overly concerned” with the hackers’ threats. For his part, Rogen — who also co-wrote the film — took to Twitter to express his excitement: > [](https://twitter.com/Sethrogen/status/547453144209178626) _(UPDATE: This article has been updated with comments from Sony.)_ [_This article originally appeared on_ FORTUNE.com](http://fortune.com/2014/12/23/sony-screen-the-interview/ "undefined") **READ NEXT:** [This Is How Much It’s Costing Sony to Cancel _The Interview_](http://www.time.com/3639183/sony-cancel-interview-cost/ "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://www.time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/"},"headline":"Sony Announces Limited Release of The Interview","datePublished":"2014-12-23T18:24:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:06:33.537Z","description":"Following pushback over its decision to pull the controversial comedy","url":"https://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fc001d89ceaf351/69877711a988ca033f6ab942/the-interview-christmas.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Fortune","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/fortune/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fc001d89ceaf351/69877711a988ca033f6ab942/the-interview-christmas.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"the-interview-christmas","caption":"A billboard for the film The Interview is displayed Dec. 19, 2014, in Venice, Calif.","creditText":"Christopher Polk—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/","name":"Sony Announces Limited Release of The Interview"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Michael Furlinger, owner of Plaza Atlanta Theatre","description":"Michael Furlinger, the owner of Plaza Atlanta Theatre gets ready to show one of the first viewings of 'The Interview'.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/G8mVabW8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-12-24T06:56:22.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/G8mVabW8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/","duration":"PT23S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Interview Movie - Official Red Band Trailer","description":"The Interview Movie - Official Red Band Trailer","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/3G1aVkk5/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-09-22T13:38:37.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3G1aVkk5.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/","duration":"PT2M40S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```