Sony Pictures will release 'The Interview' after all

Last week, Sony Pictures announced that it would not release “The Interview” on December 25 after its hackers issued a threat of violence that led many theater chains to announce they wouldn’t show the film. The company came under heavy criticism for yielding to its hackers’ demands; among the critics was President Obama who weighed in to say he felt Sony was making a mistake by signaling that “some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States.” Now Sony Pictures has changed its mind and will release “The Interview” this Christmas after all.

That’s according to two Twitter accounts associated with two separate independent cinemas. The first to announce that it was screening the controversial film was the Plaza Theater in Atlanta, Ga.

On Tuesday morning, Tim League, founder and CEO of the Austin, Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse, also confirmed that his company planned to distribute the film which many believe was the reason for the massive hack on Sony Pictures.

On Friday, the FBI officially blamed the North Korean government for the attack, though some information security experts were skeptical of the evidence.

According to anonymous sources that spoke to entertainment site The Wrap, “The Interview” will also be available on Christmas via video on demand.

The aforementioned theaters were previously in the news after they were told by Paramount Pictures that they couldn’t screen the 2004 comedy “Team America: World Police” in lieu of the canceled Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy.

It’s still uncertain why Sony Pictures reversed itself. Company representatives did not immediately return Fusion’s multiple requests for comment.

Fidel Martinez is an editor at Fusion.net. He’s also a Texas native and a lifelong El Tri fan.