(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Sony Pictures said it will screen madcap comedy The Interview in some US theatres on Christmas Day, a dramatic U-turn after its widely criticised decision to cancel the film following a cyber-assault blamed on North Korea.
Just six days after cancelling the film's opening, in a move decried as a defeat for freedom of speech, Sony chief executive Michael Lynton confirmed that the movie would now be shown in theatres on Thursday.
"We have never given up on releasing The Interview and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theatres on Christmas Day," said Lynton, adding that the movie would be released on more "platforms" in the future.
The release of the film is likely to be limited to smaller movie chains. A Sony spokesman said the film was expected to screen at "200 plus" theatres, a fraction of the estimated 2,500 cinemas originally expected to screen the movie.
Theatres in Austin, Texas and Atlanta were among the first to confirm plans to show the movie on Tuesday.
Oscar-winning director Michael Moore also confirmed he would screen the film at his theatre in Michigan, announcing the news on Twitter with the hashtags "NoCensorshipEver" and "ThankYouSony."
Sony's U-turn was the latest twist to a crisis which has engulfed the studio and The Interview, a screwball romp about a fictional plot by two US journalists embarking on a mission to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
North Korea has been accused by the US government of launching a crippling cyber-attack on Sony which saw the release of a trove of embarrassing emails, scripts and other internal communications, including information about salaries and employee health records.
Pyongyang has repeatedly denied involvement in the hack but has applauded the actions of a shadowy online group which claimed responsibility for the cyber-attack, the self-styled "Guardians of Peace."
Pressure to withdraw the film overwhelmed Sony last week after a series of major US theatre chains said they would not show the film.
It followed chilling threats by the "Guardians of Peace" which suggested theatres screening the movie would be targeted with attacks.
But Sony's cancellation was condemned throughout the entertainment industry as a capitulation in the face of intimidation.
Even President Barack Obama, who has accused North Korea of carrying out an act of "cyber-vandalism" against Sony, said the studio had made a mistake by scrapping the film.
Obama applauded Sony's decision to release the film
"As the President made clear, we are a country that believes in free speech, and the right of artistic expression," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters.
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