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Sony’s ‘The Interview’ Will Come to Some Theaters After All In About-Face, Sony to Screen Film in Dispute
(about 5 hours later)
LOS ANGELES — Sony Pictures said on Tuesday that it had secured a limited theatrical release for “The Interview” on Christmas Day. LOS ANGELES — “The Interview,” the raucous comedy that became the center of a dispute over cybersecurity between the United States and North Korea, will be released in a small number of theaters on Christmas Day after all, Sony Pictures said on Tuesday. The development gave new life to a film that Sony had pulled from distribution last week, after hackers threatened violence against any theater that played it.
“We have never given up,” Michael Lynton, chief executive of Sony Entertainment, said in a statement. He added that in addition to the limited theatrical release, “We are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience.” Sony also left open the door to video-on-demand availability of the movie, either simultaneously with its debut in theaters, or nearly so. In announcing the new plan on Tuesday, Michael Lynton, Sony Pictures’ chairman, said his studio was continuing efforts “to secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience.”
Last week, about 80 percent of the theaters in the United States and Canada refused to show “The Interview” in the face of a terror threat. But over the last day Sony reached out to theater owners again, asking if they would rebook the film. “Freedom has prevailed! Sony didn’t give up!” Seth Rogen, who co-directed, co-wrote and co-stars in “The Interview,” wrote on Twitter.
One person briefed on the effort said on Tuesday that it appeared unlikely that big chains like Regal or AMC would come on board but that Sony was likely to patch together distribution for the film in 200 to 300 smaller theaters. Already some theaters, like the Alamo Drafthouse chain, based in Austin, and the Plaza Theater in Atlanta have said they would show the film. A comedy about the assassination of North Korea’s ruler, Kim Jong-un, “The Interview” was withdrawn by Sony last week after theater chains refused to play it in the face of a terror threat. Though Sony was privately searching for new outlets, the aborted release led to a chorus of protest, as irate Hollywood stars, free-speech advocates and even President Obama complained that Sony had capitulated to extortionist demands to cancel the release.
“Sony has authorized screenings of ‘The Interview’ on Christmas Day,” Tim League, the chief executive of the 30-theater Alamo chain, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday morning. Mr. League did not immediately respond to a query. On Friday, hours after the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified North Korea as “centrally involved” in a cyberattack of Sony and the subsequent terror threat, Mr. Obama elevated the issue from a serious industry problem to one involving national security and artistic expression. “We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States,” Mr. Obama told reporters.
Representatives of the four largest theater chains in the United States either declined to comment or had no immediate comment. The people who were briefed on Sony’s effort insisted on anonymity because the negotiations over the film’s release were continuing. Following Mr. Obama’s rebuke, Sony stepped up its campaign to secure a release. Mr. Lynton, who had already been searching for alternatives, insisted to CNN and NPR last Friday that the studio had not caved, and that it was scrambling to find new distribution. David Boies, a Sony lawyer, delivered the same message on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Even a 300-theater run would be largely symbolic in financial terms. Sony had planned to release “The Interview” on 2,000 to 3,000 screens in North America. Over the last day Sony reached out again to the big multiplex operators asking if they would rebook the film, according to people briefed on the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because negotiations were continuing.
A new facet of Sony’s discussions with theater owners is any simultaneous video-on-demand effort. Theaters, worried about the possible impact on ticket sales, remain adamant about refusing to open their doors to any film that is showing or about to show elsewhere, according to people briefed on the discussions. Studios typically give theaters a monthslong exclusive window to play new movies. Sony on Tuesday had so far patched together release of “The Interview” in about 200 smaller theaters, including the Plaza in Atlanta and roughly 20 venues operated by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a chain based in Texas. Some theaters reported near-instant sellouts for Thursday screenings. Still, a run of that size would be largely symbolic in financial terms for Sony, which spent $44 million to make the film and had planned to release it on more than 2,000 North American screens.
It remained unclear, however, whether any on-demand service would take “The Interview.” According to people briefed on the matter, Sony had in recent days asked the White House for help in lining up a particular technology partner but no deal had materialized. Sony had particularly hoped for a partnership with Apple. It appeared unlikely on Tuesday that major exhibitors would come back on board, as security concerns were compounded by anger over Sony’s handling of “The Interview.” North America’s four largest chains — Regal, AMC, Cinemark and Carmike — either declined to comment or did not respond to queries.
A release plan would end a mad scramble on the part of Sony to find a way to get “The Interview” seen and begin a new period of disquiet for the studio and its partners. The hacker group that digitally ransacked Sony beginning late last month, and that threatened theaters with violence if they played it, also warned that the assault would continue if alternate distribution plans were made. Advertising will largely take place on social media.
“The Interview,” which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco, is an R-rated comedy about the assassination of the North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un. The F.B.I. has publicly identified North Korea as “centrally involved” with the attack on Sony. Though modest, the new release plan is a positive turn of events for Mr. Lynton and Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures’ co-chairwoman, who were battered for canceling the release. But the decision to move ahead with limited distribution begins a new period of disquiet for the studio and its partners. The hacker group that digitally ransacked Sony and threatened theaters with violence had warned that a digital assault would resume if new distribution plans were made.
“The Interview” had been scheduled for release on Christmas Day. But when hackers on Dec. 16 warned of 9/11-scale violence if the film were shown, multiplex owners canceled their bookings in the face of pressure from their lawyers, shopping mall landlords and even Sony competitors, which were worried about their own films. In addition to the furor over “The Interview,” Sony has suffered the disclosure of tens of thousands of emails, personnel files and other private data since Nov. 24. Mr. Obama said the United States would take action in response to the Sony attack, leading North Korea, which has denied responsibility, to warn of “serious consequences” if the United States made any such move.
Theater owners and government officials have been trying to assess the threat’s credibility. One person briefed on the exhibitors’ deliberations said law enforcement officials had become less inclined over the last few days to see the threat as serious. Theater owners and government officials have been trying to assess the credibility of the terrorism threat, which came on Dec. 16 and warned of 9/11-scale violence if “The Interview” was released. Initially, the F.B.I. had guided theaters to treat the missive like a bomb threat — credible until it could be proven otherwise. But law enforcement agencies have in recent days softened that assessment, according to people briefed on the matter.
Still, people briefed on the deliberations said theaters showing the film might take unusual security measures, perhaps by banning backpacks or packages or posting signs advising customers of added risk. The art-house theaters showing the film might still take unusual security measures, perhaps by banning backpacks or packages or posting signs advising customers of added risk, said people briefed on their plans.
Sony at first said it was shelving “The Interview” completely but quickly decided to look for a mainstream cable, satellite or online movie distributor to adopt the film. Worried about the repercussions of allowing a foreign power to censor American artistic expression, a wide range of people — President Obama, Salman Rushdie, numerous Hollywood stars — publicly pressured Sony to find an alternative. Even so, the theaters taking “The Interview” face security issues less severe than any that multiplexes would have come up against. Many of America’s 500 or so art houses, for instance, are located away from shopping malls; mall operators initially objected to the showing of a film under explicit threat.
But finding a new delivery route has been complicated. Keeping “The Interview” away from multiplexes would also lessen any collateral damage for Sony competitors, some of whom aggressively pushed exhibitors to drop the film to protect ticket sales for their holiday releases. Competing studios had privately argued that, even if the threat was not real, having “The Interview” on theater marquees could prompt ticket buyers to stay away, hurting films playing in the same complex.
Satellite operators, cable systems and online platforms worried that they would become hacking targets if they picked up “The Interview.” A new facet of Sony’s discussions with theater owners is any simultaneous video-on-demand effort. Studios typically give theaters an exclusive monthslong window to play new movies. Most theaters, worried about the impact on ticket sales, remain adamant about refusing to open their doors to any film that is showing or about to show through other channels.
Sony did have options. One was BitTorrent, an online file-sharing service that has in the past been criticized by Hollywood for providing software that is misused by digital pirates. BitTorrent also offers a pay-based sharing mechanism that makes legitimate entertainment sales. OwnZones, a three-year-old paid-distribution platform, also offered Sony the use of its service. Sony rejected those offers in favor of a partnership with an established hub. It remained unclear, however, whether any on-demand service would take “The Interview.” According to people briefed on the matter, Sony had in recent days asked the White House for help in lining up a single technology partner — Apple, which operates iTunes — but the tech company was not interested, at least not on a speedy time table. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
The studio early on ruled out its own video site, Crackle. That streaming service is free, and Sony had a contractual financial obligation to various profit participants in “The Interview” to exhaust all paid options, according to a person briefed on the matter. A spokesman for LStar Capital, which helped finance “The Interview,” which cost $44 million to make, declined to comment. On Tuesday, Eric Schultz, a White House press secretary, said that Mr. Obama welcomed the decision to release the film. “As the President made clear, we’re a country that believes in free speech and the right of artistic expression,” he said.
Finding a new delivery route has been complicated. Satellite operators, cable systems and online platforms worried that they would become hacking targets if they picked up the film.
The studio early on ruled out its own video site, Crackle. That streaming service is free, and Sony has a contractual financial obligation to various profit participants in “The Interview” to exhaust all paid options. YouTube was eliminated as an option for the same reason, among others.
A spokesman for LStar Capital, which helped finance “The Interview,” declined to comment.
Unclear on Tuesday was precisely how Sony arrived at the decision to mount a limited theatrical release. A group called Art House Convergence may have played a role; on Monday it told Sony it had found about 250 small theaters willing to play the film.