How You Can Watch The Interview on Christmas Day

11 minute read

Sony Pictures released its beleaguered Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy The Interview on several streaming sites Wednesday afternoon, in a move that sidesteps concerns about online threats made against theaters that show the film.

The Interview is available in high-definition for digital rental ($5.99) or purchase ($14.99) on Google Play, YouTube, Xbox and seetheinterview.com.

The move marks another turn in the studio’s handling of the film’s release. Sony Pictures scrapped a widespread theatrical release of The Interview earlier this month after several major theater chains backed out in the wake of threats against the movie. Those messages were believed to have come from the same group responsible for a massive cyberattack against Sony, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation has linked to North Korea. (Some cybersecurity experts remain unconvinced of that link.)

The Most Controversial Films of All Time

James Franco;Seth Rogen
The Interview, 2014 The James Franco-Seth Rogen movie hadn’t even been released when it made its greatest impact. The Interview, about two Americans on a mission to kill Kim Jong-un, has sparked conversations about the tastefulness -- or not -- of depicting the killing of a foreign head of state. But it also is widely seen as having sparked the Sony hacking scandal, as the hackers, known as the Guardians of Peace, have urged Sony not to release the film. The ripple effect of the email hack saw off-color remarks about Angelina Jolie, Aaron Sorkin, and President Obama between Sony executives go public.Columbia
'The Birth Of A Nation'
Birth of a Nation, 1915 Birth of a Nation is held in high esteem as one of the most ambitious and innovative early films. It has also, in the near-century since its release, been derided for its use of blackface to depict black men as sexually rapacious and its characterization of the KKK as heroes. Is it possible to admire a film’s technical excellence while acknowledging that its content is deeply offensive? Many film scholars, who point to Birth of a Nation as part of the foundation of modern film, believe so.Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Charles Chaplin And Jack Oakie In 'The Great Dictator'
The Great Dictator, 1940 Charlie Chaplin’s lampooning of Hitler came before the U.S. was necessarily ready to hear it -- the country hadn’t yet entered World War II yet. The Great Dictator was controversial both for its advancement of anti-Hitler rhetoric and, at the same time, its turning Hitler into a figure of comedy. United Artists/Getty Images
Ray Milland & Jane Wyman In 'The Lost Weekend'
The Lost Weekend, 1945 Billy Wilder’s frank depiction of alcoholism, anchored with a tragic performance from Ray Milland, was startling for its time. Though it won several Oscars and the Palme d’Or, it had been, before its release, far from a sure thing. The success of The Lost Weekend allowed for fuller depictions of social issues on film, even though it could be uncomfortable.Paramount/Getty Images
Sue Lyon And James Mason In 'Lolita'
Lolita, 1962 This film was perhaps the first of director Stanley Kubrick’s to directly court controversy; the poster famously asked “How did they ever make a movie of Lolita?” and the question was very much worth asking. Lolita, the novel, is a strange and surreal look at an older man’s obsession with “nymphets,” or young girls; the film manages to carry across the same subject matter, though Lolita herself was aged up to avoid outright banning.MGM/Getty Images
Bonnie And Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde, 1967 Arthur Penn’s depiction of the short, glamorous lives of two bank robbers kicked off the New Hollywood era and scandalized audiences with its over-the-top violence. Bonnie and Clyde made its subjects look like, well, movie stars -- and then killed them in a brutal, seemingly endless hail of gunfire. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
"A Clockwork Orange"  Hawk Films, Ltd. December 19, 1971
A Clockwork Orange, 1971 Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s dystopian drama features shocking sex and violence, to the degree that the film was restricted within the U.K. for decades. Its central notion, of behavioral therapy as a force for evil, has also provoked debate since the film’s release.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Dustin Hoffman And Meryl Streep In 'Kramer vs. Karmer'
Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979 This domestic drama, starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep as a couple whose marriage ends, was upfront about the challenges of raising children and the degree to which married life could be fundamentally unsatisfying.Columbia/Getty Images
Michael Douglas And Sharon Stone In 'Basic Instinct'
Basic Instinct, 1992 This film made Sharon Stone, for a brief time, one of the most compelling movie stars on Earth. Her role as the voracious novelist and serial killer Catherine Tramell outraged gay audiences who viewed her as a homophobic stereotype, and spooked some men who were unaccustomed to Stone’s forthright sexuality. Either way, no one could stop talking about Catherine, or about Stone.TriStar/Getty Images
Nicole Kidman In 'Eyes Wide Shut'
Eyes Wide Shut, 1999 Stanley Kubrick’s final film was perfectly in keeping with his careerlong interest in provocation. Eyes Wide Shut depicts a seamy New York underworld in which just about everyone is looking for sex, power, or both. Though the film’s graphic sexuality (including a scene at an orgy) was shocking, it was its depiction of the act of love as a transaction that really unsettled audiences.Warner Brothers/Getty Images
Requiem for a Dream, 2000 Darren Aronofsky’s breakthrough film, based on the work of Hubert Selby, Jr., was unabashed in its depiction of drugs’ effects. Each of the four principal characters suffers, brutally, for his or her addiction, culminating in one character’s psychotic break, another’s amputated arm, and a third’s descent into prostitution. The film’s miserabilist outlook, graphic sex, and body-horror imagery are as effective an antidrug campaign as exists. Artisan Entertainment
Fahrenheit 9/11, 2004 The 2004 presidential election was ugly to an unprecedented degree, with attacks on John Kerry’s service from the right’s Swift Boat Veterans for truth and this documentary-length Molotov cocktail tossed at George W. Bush from director Michael Moore. Moore, who’d previously been booed at the 2003 Oscars for an anti-Bush speech, mixed together insinuations about voter fraud in Florida and ties between the Bush and bin Laden families into an antiwar statement. In its sheer provocation and palpable anger, it was the perfect film for its polarized time; the fact that it was received very differently by audiences of different political persuasions seemed somehow apt.Lionsgate
MCDPAOF NW021
The Passion of the Christ, 2004 This film, depicting the torture and eventual death of Jesus, was one of the biggest hits of all time. But it hadn’t necessarily had a clear path to acclaim; pre-release, the film was pilloried for perceived anti-Semitism. As audiences flocked over the weeks preceding Easter, some criticized director Mel Gibson for an excessively violent and sadistic vision of Jesus’s death.Newmarket
MCDBORA FE048
Borat, 2006 Sacha Baron Cohen’s depiction of a Kazakh immigrant interacting with real people stateside showed America in a terrible light; it was hilarious, painful viewing. But for months after the film’s release, questions over just how fair Borat had been to its participants persisted. And Baron Cohen’s career continued to push boundaries of taste, with subsequent movies lampooning gay men (Bruno) and Sub-Saharan African heads of state (The Dictator).20th Century Fox

Sony’s first backtrack came Tuesday, when small theaters across the country said they would go ahead with plans to screen The Interview on its planned Christmas Day release date. The studio later officially announced it would allow a limited release of the controversial film starting Christmas Day. Only a few hundred theaters are offering the film, as opposed to the thousands that were originally planning to show it. But releasing The Interview online could help Sony reduce losses from such a dramatic cut in the number of theaters showing the movie.

The real winners here, though, could be YouTube and the other streaming services. It’s extremely rare to offer a simultaneous in-theater/streaming release of such a major film. Americans are already going to movie theaters less often, opting for the often cheaper experience of staying in and watching videos online or on demand instead.

But, if you do want to head to the theaters on Christmas Day to watch the movie, Entertainment Weekly has the latest updated list of about 300 theaters where it’s showing starting Thursday:

Alamo Lakeline – Austin, Tex.
Alamo Slaughter – Austin, Tex.
Alamo South Lamar – Austin, Tex.
Alamo Ritz – Austin, Tex.
Alamo – Richardson, Tex.
Alamo Vintage Park – Houston, Tex.
Alamo Mason Park – Katy, Tex.
Alamo – Lubbock, Tex.
Alamo Marketplace – New Braunfels, Tex.
Alamo Park North – San Antonio, Tex.
Alamo Westlakes – San Antonio, Tex.
Alamo 6 Stone Oaks – San Antonio, Tex.
Rialto Bistro 9 – San Antonio, Tex.
Look Cinemas – Dallas, Tex.
Texas Theatre – Dallas, Tex.
City Base Cinemas – San Antonio, Tex.
Mayan Palace 13 – San Antonio, Tex.
Town and Country – Abilene, Tex.
Venetian 8 – Carrollton, Tex.
Pine Hollow 6 – Conroe, Tex.
Galaxy – Ennis, Tex.
D-Max – Gainesville, Tex.
Star Cinema Grill – Missouri City, Tex.
Mt. Pleasant Southside 6 – Mt. Pleasant, Tex.
North Shore Cinema 8 – Portland, Tex.
Silverado 19 – Tomball, Tex.
Star Cinema 6 – Webster, Tex.

Laemmle Theatre – North Hollywood, Calif.
Agoura Hills Stadium 8, Agoura Hills, Calif.
Los Feliz 3 – Los Angeles, Calif.
Crest Westwood – Los Angeles, Calif.
Mission Grove Theater – Riverside, Calif.
Tristone Jurupa 14 Cinemas – Riverside, Calif.
Perris 10, – Perris, Calif.
East Hills Mall – Bakersfield, Calif.
Foothill Cinema Stadium 10– Azusa, Calif.
Fontana 8– Fontana, Calif.
Rialto Cinemas – Berkeley, Calif.
The Frida Cinema – Santa Ana, Calif.
Santa Paula 7 -Santa Paula, Calif.
Sterling 6 – San Bernadino, Calif.
Granada Hills 9 – Granada Hills, Calif.
Van Nuys Plant 16, -Van Nuys, Calif.
Janss Marketplace 9 – Thousand Oaks, Calif.
University Village 10 – Riverside, Calif.
Westminster 10 – Westminster, Calif.
Cinémas Palme D’Or – Coachella Valley
Rialto Cinemas – Berkeley, Calif.
Prime Cinemas – Red Bluff, Calif.
Commerce 14 – City of Commerce, Calif.
Angel Cinema Six – Angels Camp, Calif.
Avenal Theatre – Avenal, Calif.
Maya Bakersfield 16 – Bakersfield, Calif.
Barstow Station 6 – Barstow, Calif.
Elmwood 3 Theatres – Berkeley, Calif.
Mary Pickford Theatre – Cathedral City, Calif.
Fairfax 6 – Fairfax, Calif.
Palladio 16 – Folsom, Calif.
Fortuna 6 – Fortuna, Calif.
4 Star Cinemas – Garden Grove, Calif.
Civic Plaza 12 – Hesperia, Calif.
Blvd. Cinemas 3 – Lancaster, Calif.
Livermore Cinemas – Livermore, Calif.
Contra Costa Cinemas 8 – Martinez, Calif.
Osio Plaza Theatre 6 – Monterey, Calif.
Tennant Station Stadium Cinemas – Morgan Hill, Calif.
Camelot 3 – Palm Springs, Calif.
Boulevard Cinemas 14, Petaluma, Calif.
Maya Century Plaza 16 – Pittsburg, Calif.
Maya Salinas 14 – Salinas, Calif.
Almaden Seven – San Jose, Calif.
Camera Three Cinemas – San Jose, Calif.
Arlington – Santa Barbara, Calif.
Del Mar Theatre 3 – Santa Cruz, Calif.
Scotts Valley 10 – Scotts Valley, Calif.
Sebastopol 9 – Sebastopol, Calif.
Sonoma 9 – Sonoma, Calif.
Regency Westminster 10 – Westminster, Calif.

Edge 12 – Birmingham, Ala.
Clark Theatre 3 – Andalusia, Ala.
Boaz Cinema 9 – Boaz, Ala.
Clark Cinema 1&2 – Enterprise, Ala.
Fort Payne Cinemas 6 – Fort Payne, Ala.
Edge Cinema 8 – Greenville, Ala.
Madison Square Stadium 8 – Huntsville, Ala.
Continental Cinema 6 – Troy, Ala.

Loft Cinema – Tucson, Ariz.

Harkins Theaters Tempe, Ariz., Phoenix, Ariz.
Lake Havasu Cinema 10, Lake Havasu, Ariz.
Ak-Chin 12 – Maricopa, Ariz.
Sawmill Theatres – Payson, Ariz.
Ultraluxe Scottsdale Pavillions 11 – Scottsdale, Ariz.
WME Theatre – Show Low, Ariz.
Uptown 3 Theatre – Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Valley Art – Tempe, Ariz.

Riverdale 10Little Rock, Ark.
Silver Screen Cinemas 8 – Cabot, Ark.
Stars Cinema 6 – El Dorado, Ark.
Behind the Mall Cinema 5 – Hot Springs, Ark.
Cinema 8 – Searcy, Ark.

Alamo – Littleton, Colo.
Sie FilmCenter – Denver, Colo.

Spotlight Theatres Front Street Stadium – Hartford, Conn.
Apple Cinemas Waterbury 10 – Waterbury, Conn.

Penn Cinemas Waterfront – Wilmington, Delaware
Westown Movies – Middleton, Delaware
Movies at Midway 14 – Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

The Lake Worth Drive-In – Sunrise, Fla.
The Swap Shop – Sunrise, Fla.
Sun-Ray Cinema – Jacksonville, Fla.
Prado Stadium 12 – Bonita Springs, Fla.
T-Bird 14 – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Edison Park 8 – Ft. Myers, Fla.
Tropic 4 Cinema – Key West, Fla.
Lake Worth 2 – Lake Worth, Fla.
Touchstar Cinemas Southchase 7 – Orlando, Fla.
Nova Cinemas of Palm Bay – Palm Bay, Fla.
Robinson Center – Shreveport, Fla.
Funlan 4 – Tampa, Fla.
Satellite Cinema 10 – Titusville, Fla.
Treehouse Cinema – Gulf Breeze, Fla.

The Plaza Atlanta — Atlanta, Ga.
Cordele Stadium 5 Cinemas – Cordele, Ga.
Parkside Main Stadium 8 – Greensboro, Ga.
Royal 13 – Pooler, Ga.
Aurora Cineplex 10 – Roswell, Ga.
Eisenhower Cinema 6 – Savannah, Ga.

Village Cinema – Meridian, Idaho
Bonner Mall Cinemas 6 – Ponderay, Idaho
Magic Valley Cinema 13 – Twin Falls, Idaho

Hollywood Boulevard Cinema – Woodridge, Illinois
Arlington Heights – Arlington Heights, Illinois
Bloomington Galaxy 14 – Bloomington, Illinois
Buffalo Grove Theatre 5 – Buffalo Grove, Illinois
O’Fallon 15 – O’Fallon, Illinois
Roxy Cinemas 6 – Ottawa, Illinois
Willow Knolls – Peoria, Illinois
Reynolds Landmark 10 – Peoria, Illinois
Savoy 16 – Savoy, Illinois

Jasper 8 Theatre – Jasper, Indiana
Bones Theatre 4 – Columbia City, Indiana
Greendale Cinema 10 – Greendale, Indiana
Wolf 10 Theatres – Greensburg, Indiana
Georgetown 14 – Indianapolis, Indiana
Portage 16 IMAX – Portage, Indiana

Cedar Rapids Galaxy 16 – Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cinetopia 17 – Overland Park, Kansas

Theatres of Georgetown 7 – Georgetown, Kentucky
Village 8 Theatre – Louisville, Kentucky
Riverfill Cinemas 10 – Pikeville, Kentucky

Chalmette Movies – Chalmette, Louisiana
Robinson Film Center – Shreveport, Louisiana
Hollywood Cinemas 7 – LA Place, Louisiana

Hollywood Cinemas – Bangor, Maine
Caribou Cinema 4 – Caribou, Maine

Eastpoint Movies 10 – Baltimore, Maryland
Xscape 14 – Brandyine, Maryland
Leitersburg Cinemas – Hagerstown, Maryland

Apple CinemasCambridge, Mass.
Hollywood Hits – Danvers, Mass.
Cinema Pub – North Attleboro, Mass.
Cinema 95 – Salisbury, Mass.

Quality 16 – Ann Arbor, Mich.
Cloverland 4 Cinema – Ironwood, Mich.
Michigan Theater – Ann Arbor, Mich.
Alamo – Kalamazoo, Mich.
The Bijou Art Cinemas – Traverse City, Mich.
Wayne Theatre 4 – Wayne State, Mich.

Cambridge 5 – Cambridge, Minn.
Premiere 6 – Cloquet, Minn.
Quarry Cold Spring 5 – Cold Spring, Minn.
Fairmont 5 – Fairmont, Minn.
Cine 5 – Int’l Falls, Minn.
St. Anthony 5 – Minneapolis, Minn.
North Branch 7 – North Branch, Minn.
Grand Makwa 4 – Onamia, Minn.
Rochester Galaxy 14 – Rochester, Minn.
Main Street 6 – Sauk Centre, Minn.

MX MoviesSt. Louis, Mo.
Alamo Main Street – Kansas City, Mo.
Arnold 14 – Arnold, Mo.
Blue Springs 8 – Arnold, Mo.
Cape West 14 – Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Chesterfield Galaxy 14 – Chesterfield, Mo.
Pharaoh Cinema 4 – Independence, Mo.
Screenland Armour – N. Kansas City, Mo.
Chase Park Plaza Cinemas 5 – St. Louis, Mo.
Galleria 6 – St. Louis, Mo.
Des Peres 14, St. Louis, Mo.
Warrenton 8 – Warrenton, Mo.
Glass Sword 6 – West Plains, Mo.

Pharaohplex 6 – Hamilton, Montana

Northgate Stadium 10 – Durham, N.C.
Neuse Theatre – New Bern, N.C.
Palace Pointe 8 – Roxboro, N.C.
Smithfield 10 – Smithfield, N.C.
Quin Theatre 4 – Sylva, N.C.
Carousel Cinemas 15 – Greensboro, N.C.

Fargo Theatre 2 – Fargo, N.D.
Grand Theatre 6 – Williston, N.D.

Mesquite 6 – Mesquite, Nevada
Ironwood Stadium 8 – Minden, Nevada

Keene Cinemas – Keene, N.H.

Allwood Cinemas 6 – Clifton, N.J.
Hudson 7 – Jersey City, N.J.
City Plex 12 – Newark, N.J.
Columbia Park 12 – North Bergen, N.J.
Middlebrook 10 – Ocean Township, N.J.
Fabian 8 — Paterson, N.J.

Alamo – Yonkers – N.Y.
Cinema Arts Centre
Huntington, N.Y.
Dipson Flix 10 Stadium
Lancaster, N.Y.
Dipson Lakewood Cinema 8
Lakewood, N.Y.
Island Cinemas
Mastic, N.Y.
Movieplex 10 – Auburn, N.Y.
Movietime Cinemas 10 – Canandaigua, N.Y.
American 5 – Canton, N.Y.
Cortland Plaza Theatre – Cortland, N.Y.
Movieplex 59 Dunkirk – Dunkirk, N.Y.
Main Street 6 – Flushing, N.Y.
Movieplex 8 – Hudson, N.Y.
Kew Gardens Cinema – Kew Gardens, N.Y.
Massena Movieplex 8 – Massena, N.Y.
Merrick Cinemas, Merrick, N.Y.
New Windsor 12 – New Windsor, N.Y.
Quad Cinema 4 – New York, N.Y.
Cinema Village – New York, N.Y.
Crystal Cinema 8 – Painted Post, N.Y.
Orpheum Triples – Saugerties, N.Y.
Center Fiveplex – Sunnyside, N.Y.

Starmax – Deming, N.M.
Jean Cocteau Cinema – Santa Fe, N.M.
Icon Cinemas Roswell, N.M.

The Fox TheaterDallas, Oregon
Academy Theater – Portland, Oregon
Cinetopia Progress Ridge 14 – Beaverton, Oregon
Darkside Cinema 4 – Corvallis, Oregon
Bijou Art Cinemas 2 – Eugene, Oregon
Hollywood Theatre 3 – Portland, Oregon

Terrace TheaterCharleston, S.C.
Nickelodeon Theater – Columbia, S.C.
Crown 2 – Lancaster, S.C.

Tower City CinemaCleveland, Ohio
Esquire Theatere – Cincinnatti, Ohio
Gateway Film Center
& Grandview Theatre — Columbus, Ohio
Grandview Theatre – Columbus, Ohio
Movies 10 – Nelsonville, Ohio

Heritage Park 7 – Atlus, Ok.
Valley View Cinema 6 – Chickasha, Ok.
Riverwalk Movies 8 – Jenks, Ok.
Circle – Tulsa, Ok.
Showest 4 – Weatherford, Ok.

Southside Works CinemaPittsburgh, Penn.
Dependable – Coraopolis, Penn.
Pocono Community Theater – East Stroudsburg, Penn.
Movie Town Cinemas 8 – Elizabethtown, Penn.
Richland Cinemas – Johnstown, Penn.
Mahoning Valley 8 – Lehighton, Penn.
Miller 6 – Lewistown, Penn.
Pocono Movieplex – Marshalls Creek, Penn.
Majestic 7 – Matamoras, Penn.

Cable Car Cinema – Providence, R.I.

Belcourt Theatre – Nashville, Tenn.
Franklin Theatre – Franklin, Tenn.
Montana 3 – Estill Springs, Tenn.
Premiere 6 – Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Brewvies Cinema Pub – Salt Lake City, Utah
Megaplex Theatre– South Jordan, Utah
Historic Cedar Theatre – Cedar City, Utah
Moviegrille – Ogden, Utah
Library/Attn: Film Series – Park City, Utah
Walker Cinema 8 – Perry, Utah
Main Street Cinema 6 – St. George, Utah

Merril’s RoxyBurlington, Vt.

Alamo Loudoun – Ashburn, Virginia
21st Century Cinemas 12 – Abingdon, Virginia
Sunchase Cinema 8 – Farmville, Virginia
York River Crossing Cinema – Hays, Virginia
Manassas 4 Cinemas – Manassas, Virginia
Hollywood Cinema – Martinsville, Virginia
Cinema City Stadium 9 – Nortin, Virginia

Bainbridge Cinemas 5 – Bainbridge Island, Washington
Olympic Cinemas – Bremerton, Washington
Grand Meridian – Ellensburg, Washington
Plaza Three Cinemas – Oak Harbor, Washington
Stanwood Cinemas 5 – Standwood, Washington
Cinetopia 8 – Vancouver, Washington
Cinetopia Vancouver Mall 23 – Vancouver, Washington
Yelm Cinemas 8 – Yelm, Washington
Ark Lodge Cinemas – Seattle, Washington
Grand Tacoma 4 – Tacoma, Washington

West End Cinema – Washington, D.C.
Angelika Pop-up – Washington, D.C.

Tygart Valley Cinemas – Fairmont, West Virgina
Elkins Cinema 8 – Elkins, West Virginia

Grand Cinema Theatres New London, Wisconsin
Bay 6 Theatre – Ashland, Wisconsin
Beloit Luxury 10 – Beloit, Wisconsin
Vilas Cinemas 4 – Eagle River, Wisconsin
Fond Du Lac Theatre 8 – Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
Hartford Cinemas 6 – Hartford, Wisconsin
Hayward Cinema 4 – Hayward, Wisconsin
Movies 16 Theatre – Janesville, Wisconsin
Millenium 6 Cinema – Platteville, Wisconsin
Shawnow Theatres 4 – Shawno, Wisconsin
Sparta Cinema 6 – Sparta, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay Cinemas 6 – Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

Jackson Hole Cinema 2 – Jackson, Wyoming
The Movies 3 – Rawlins, Wyoming
Gem Theatres – Riverton, Wyoming

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