Updated at 1:02pm ET with Sony’s statement.
Several US theater owners are reporting that Sony has contacted them to authorizing screenings of The Interview. Sony had yanked the film from its original Dec 25 release date after the group that hacked the company posted threats against any theaters showing the film, a comedy in which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is assassinated.
Sony executives appear to have changed their minds, but it’s still unclear just how wide this release will be.
Tim League, founder of the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain, posted this on Twitter:
Atlanta’s Plaza Theater also announced they’d be screening the film on Christmas.
Shortly thereafter, Sony confirmed the news.
“We have never given up on releasing The Interview and we’re excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day,” Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton said in a statement. “At the same time, we are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience.”
According to TheWrap, the theatrical release will coincide with a video-on-demand release a few days later, but it’s unknown exactly which service Sony will use to make that happen.
This news comes only a few days after President Barack Obama said in a press conference that Sony’s decision to cancel The Interview was a mistake. ”We cannot have a society where some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States,” he said. “That’s not who we are. That’s not what America is about.”