Update: Miami Herald film critic, Rene Rodriguez, reports on Twitter that the Swap Shop in Broward County will show The Interview.
Despite threats, cyber hacking, and an initial cancellation, Sony has reversed course and decided to release The Interview on Christmas Day. The movie will be shown at fewer than 100 indie theaters. Smaller, independent theaters had been pressuring Sony to release the movie, last week many said they would show the film despite the studio's cancellation. It's likely that pressure led to Sony's decision today. According to Deadline, the film is unlikely to screen in theaters owned by major distributors.
See also: Seth Rogen on The Interview: " I Don't Have a Lot to Offer in the Political Arena"
Sony's CEO Michael Lynton issued the following statement:
"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, Chairman and CEO of Sony Entertainment. "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."
"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. 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."
There's no word yet whether or not The Interview will be screened in Miami though Josh Frank, owner of the Blue Starlite Drive In in Wynwood, indicated on a Change.org petition that he would be willing to screen the film. Whether or not The Interview is worth all of the international intrigue remains to be seen. Our own film critic, Stephanie Zacharek wrote last week that "The Interview deserves the poetic justice of actually being great. But the more desperately a comedy tries to be outrageous, the less likely it is to be outrageous -- or even just funny."
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