‘The Interview’ to hit U.S. theaters with tickets mostly sold out

Sony Pictures, which had decided to cancel screenings of the comedy movie “The Interview” about an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, changed its plan on Tuesday (U.S. time), and decided to release the movie at more than 300 independent theaters across the U.S. on Thursday, the Christmas Day. As news on the movie’s release has spread, moviegoers have made reservations en masse across the nation., signaling a looming success of the new movie.

Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Pictures, said in a statement on the day, said, “We have never given up screenings of The Interview,’” adding, “I am proud to allow moviegoers to watch the movie, and confidently fight attempts to suppress the freedom of speech.”

On hearing news on the release of "The Interview," U.S. President Barack Obama, who is having vacation in Hawaii, said, “We are a country that believes in free speech and the right of artistic expression‍,” adding, “I applaud Sony’s decision to authorize the screenings of the film.” Seth Rogen, a co-producer of the movie, said in a Twitter post, “The people have spoken! Freedom has prevailed! Sony didn`t give up!,” while co-star James Franco welcomed the decision by calling it a "victory."

CEO Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, the network of independent theaters that announced plans to screen "The Interview," said almost all the tickets for Thursday’s screenings at its theaters in the states of Texas, New York and Missouri have been sold out. Some independent theaters in certain states, including "The Plaza" in Atlanta, Georgia that had no plan to screen the film, also said they will screen it.