24 Dec 2014

The Interview to screen

8:11 am on 24 December 2014

Sony Pictures has announced it will release the spoof film on North Korea's leader, just days after pulling the movie, Radio New Zealand reports.

The Interview, a comedy about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un, led to a cyber attack on the studio which the US government has blamed on North Korea.

North Korea denied it was responsible for the cyber attack.

In a statement this morning, Sony Pictures said there would be “limited theatrical release” of the movie in the United States.

It was unclear how many cinemas would be allowed to screen The Interview or whether major movie theatres that had decided not to open the film last week due to security concerns would join the group of authorised exhibitors.

A theatre in Atlanta, the Plaza Atlanta, said on social media it would show the film, while the founder of Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain Tim League said the film company had authorised the theatre to screen it.

The Interview features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Kim. The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.

The film's cancelled release drew criticism in Hollywood, with some, such as George Clooney, calling it an attack on the freedom of expression. At the time it shelved the movie, Sony said it had made the decision after most US cinemas chose not to screen the film, following the threats.