(MENAFN- Arab Times) LOS ANGELES Dec 26 (Agencies): A fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un drew throngs of moviegoers Thursday as it became an unlikely symbol of free speech thanks to hacker threats that nearly scuppered its release. The future of Sony's 'The Interview' had been in doubt after the entertainment giant said it was canceling the release following an embarrassing cyber attack on its corporate network and threats against patrons.
But massive support for its release including from the White House saw it open in theaters in the end. And it was more than 300 independently owned theaters that took up the mantle with some moviegoers dressed in patriotic red white and blue or saying they were driven to see the film by their belief in free speech. 'It's controversial so I want to see it. I think it's something important showing the freedom in the United States' said Adolfo Loustalot as he queued up to buy tickets outside 'Los Feliz 3' cinema in Los Angeles. The film was also available on a variety of digital platforms including Google Play YouTube Movies Microsoft's Xbox Video and on a Sony website. Star Seth Rogen and co-director Evan Goldberg made a surprise appearance at one of the first showings in Los Angeles just after midnight when they thanked moviegoers and theaters for pushing to get the film out. 'We thought this might not happen at all' Rogen told a cheering crowd. The theater was near Rogen and Goldberg's homes the men said. 'The fact that it's showing here and that you guys all came out' Goldberg said 'is super exciting' Rogen finished. Many of the biggest US movie theater chains had got cold feet about showing the film after anonymous online threats prompting Sony to pull the film. The United States has blamed the Sony cyber attack on North Korea and President Barack Obama has threatened reprisals. But Sony came under fire from Obama and free speech advocates for canceling the release. 'I probably would not be seeing this movie and certainly not today but with all the controversies I think it was important to come out and watch it' said Jeff Crowley 49 seeing the movie at a sold-out independent theater in the capital Washington. 'To me it was more about the precedent that was setting in... we don't want all these studios afraid of what they can say the next time around.' Principle Josh Levin a co-owner of the West End Cinema that often screens more sophisticated films said he was showing the movie on principle and that it had been warmly received. 'We sold out all our tickets for today in less than one hour. We are sold out for tomorrow and Saturday' Levin said. The madcap irreverent R-rated comedy was also available online for US and Canadian viewers starting Wednesday. 'After discussing all the issues Sony and Google agreed that we could not sit on the sidelines and allow a handful of people to determine the limits of free speech in another country however silly the content might be' Google chief legal officer David Drummond said in a blog post. The movie was being distributed on Google's YouTube for a $5.99 rental fee on the Google Play app for Android devices and on a dedicated website seetheinterview.com. The Google search engine also promoted the film on its homepage. On vacation in Hawaii Obama who had previously called Sony's move to cancel showings a mistake told reporters he was 'glad it's being released.' Inuendo A bawdy expletive-laden tale full of sexual innuendo and scatological humor the film starring Rogen and James Franco is a silly low-brow romp about a CIA plot to assassinate Kim. The film depicts how girl-chasing hard-partying always fashionable tabloid TV presenter Dave Skylark (Franco) and his producer (Rogen) score an exclusive interview with the leader of the world's most reclusive state. That is when the CIA steps in and presents them with a plan to kill Kim. Despite initial doubts Skylark eventually learns the truth about the regime's brutality and he sets out to take down Kim by exposing him as a liar during his live interview. In the United States movie theater managers and patrons alike said they believed there was nothing to fear from the threats and the initial screenings on Thursday were uneventful. But one of the online outlets that distributed the film ahead of its theatrical release Microsoft Corp's Xbox Live reported that users were experiencing problems getting connected on Thursday. A hacking group called the Lizard Squad claimed it was behind disruptions at both Xbox and Sony Corp's PlayStation Networks which was not carrying 'The Interview.' The group's claim could not be verified. Neither Microsoft nor Sony offered explanations for the connectivity problems though both services expected heavy use as consumers who received the devices for Christmas tried to log on all at once. Extra network traffic on Xbox from users downloading 'The Interview' may also have exacerbated connectivity problems for Microsoft. The audience at the first screening of the film in New York City at the Cinema Village in Manhattan's Greenwich Village remained silent during a scene showing the death of Kim Jong Un in the downing of his helicopter. Matt Rosenzweig 60 of Manhattan said the moments that drew the most applause had to do with the idea of acting against censorship rather than animosity toward North Korea. Although Cinema Village manager Lee Peterson said the New York Police Department planned to post officers outside the theater there was no visible police presence outside or inside the venue for the first screening. An afternoon screening at the Van Nuys Regency Theatres in the city's San Fernando Valley was two-thirds full and drew a diverse crowd ranging from teens to senior citizens who laughed loudly throughout at Rogen and Franco's antics. 'It was much better than I thought it would be' said Carlos Royal 45 a professor who came with a friend dressed in Santa hats and took selfies for the occasion in front of the theater's Hollywood sign marquis. 'I wanted to support the U.S.' In Asia online audiences seemed to find the movie tedious. 'There is no drama and not much fun' said a blogger in South Korea. 'It's all about forced comedy that turns you off. Couldn't they have done a better job making this movie' The audience in Manhattan exited the theater to a throng of network TV cameras and a crowd of people lined up for the next showing. 'It was more serious the satire than I was expecting' said Simone Reynolds who saw the film while visiting from London. 'There's a message for America in there too about America's foreign policy.' North Korea has called the film an 'act of war.' Most fans simply called 'The Interview' a funny movie. Ken Jacowitz a 54-year-old librarian from the New York borough of Queens called it 'a funny film made by funny people.' He had a message for North Korea and the hackers: 'You have given this movie whole new lives.' Meanwhile 'The Interview' is not making a good first impression on those who watched the controversial movie in its first 24 hours of release according to a new online survey conducted Thursday morning. Seven out of 10 Americans characterized this cinematic satire of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as 'culturally insensitive.' Six out of 10 agreed that 'The Interview' does not represent Hollywood filmmaking or American attitudes positively. Commissioned by Variety the quickie survey of 700 people who reported having watched the movie was conducted by celebrity brand strategist Jeetendr Sehdev. The findings add a new dimension to the reception for a film that prior to its Christmas Eve debut online was receiving widespread support of its release citing concerns over free speech. Asked how they felt about the film on a 10-point differential scale labelled from 'proud' to 'ashamed' 33% responded in the 'ashamed' range of numbers. Eight in 10 people agree that had ''The Interview' been a more thoughtful and purpose-driven movie with a strong opinion towards North Korean politics they would have been proud of the movie' according to Sehdev. Half of those who said they would recommend watching the movie prior to its release changed their minds after watching the movie. Turns out becoming a symbol of freedom of expression didn't hold up for the movie for those watched it. Half of them would not recommend the movie despite the associated freedom of speech message. Three in 10 Americans said they would go so far as to actively recommend others not to watch the film despite the controversy. Not even 'The Interview' stars emerged from the movie unscathed. Though controversies typically increase celebrity interest levels between 12%-31% according to Sehdev the audience's willingness to engage with James Franco and Seth Rogen have fallen by 12% and 10% respectively. Those numbers were gauged by a bigger survey from Sehdev of 2000 respondents. 'The Interview' has received mixed reviews from critics currently scoring a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. In Asia hundreds of thousands of people viewed illegal copies of 'The Interview' in China and South Korea on Friday just hours after the controversial movie on the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was released in the United States. Most viewers said they watched the low-brow spoof because of the devastating cyberattack on the Hollywood studio that produced it Sony Pictures but they were not impressed. Even in South Korea technically at war with the North viewers panned the movie. 'A lot of it is unrealistic and the people who play North Koreans are so bad at speaking Korean' said a viewer on Naver an online portal. 'In the scene where Kim Jong Un gets mad...I couldn't quite understand what he was saying.' A blogger on Naver said: 'There is no drama and not much fun. It's all about forced comedy that turns you off. Couldn't they have done a better job making this movie' In China a copy of the movie with Chinese subtitles has been viewed at least 300000 times on just one video sharing platform. 'It doesn't matter whether the film is any good it's become something everyone has to see' said one user on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo. There are no plans yet for an official theatrical release in Asia. Sony's international executives have previously said the movie was 'desperately unfunny' and would have flopped overseas according to e-mails leaked by the hackers. China is North Korea's only major ally but Kim Jong Un is not a popular figure in the country being widely lampooned on social media as 'Fatty Kim.' Many viewers said the film was not very good but the idea it posed any risk to North Korea was absurd. Pyongyang has denounced the film as 'undisguised sponsoring of terrorism as well as an act of war'. 'An act of terror I think only Fatty Kim should be feeling any danger' another viewer posted on Weibo. In related story shortly after Sony Pictures Entertainment released 'The Interview' on digital services Dec. 24 high-quality copies of the movie turned up on multiple piracy sites and in less than 24 hours it had already been downloaded by about 900000 torrent users worldwide. On Wednesday the studio announced the launch of 'The Interview' on Google Play YouTube Movies Microsoft's Xbox Video and its own website SeetheInterview.com for $5.99 rental or $14.99 purchase. That came ahead of Sony's planned U.S. theatrical release of the film to more than 300 independent theaters on Christmas Day. However Sony's digital release of the movie is currently available only in the US As such it's unsurprising that 'The Interview' was quickly pirated particularly given worldwide interest in the movie after the devastating hack on SPE and allegations by US government that North Korea was responsible for the attack. Poached copies of 'The Interview' had been downloaded by 904237 clients worldwide as of about 4 p.m. ET Thursday after being uploaded less than 24 hours earlier to file-sharing services according to piracy-tracking firm Excipio. Of those 28% were in the US representing the country with the largest base of pirates where the film is legally available through digital services. The surge in piracy for 'The Interview' comes even after the Pirate Bay the world's best-known piracy outfit was shut down in Sweden by law-enforcement officials in a raid confiscating its servers and equipment Dec 9. The cyber-terrorists who attacked Sony stole copies of DVD screeners of four unreleased movies including the studio's 'Annie' holiday release and uploaded them to pirate sites along with 'Fury' the war pic starring Brad Pitt. But until this week legitimate copies of 'The Interview' had not surfaced on pirate sites. For Sony's legal digital distribution of 'The Interview' no figures are available for rentals and purchases of the movie at this point. However the film is listed as the No. 1 title in the Google Play store and YouTube's movies section as of Thursday.
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