‘The Interview’ Draws Big Crowds In 300-Theatre Limited Release

Roughly 300 theaters made special arrangements for the highly-anticipated Christmas Day release of the comedy movie The Interview, which depicts actors James Franco and Seth Rogen assassinating the North Korean dictator.

And it paid off, as the limited release turned out to be a big hit, seemingly turning Christmas Day into a day of national pride.

Sony Pictures Entertainment (NYSE:SNE) announced received a lot of backlash for initially calling off the release of the controversial film, but a 180-decision made the movie available on digital platforms and in more than 300 theaters on Christmas Day.

“We are taking a stand for freedom,” said theater manager Lee Peterson of the Cinema Village East in Manhattan, where most of Thursday’s seven screenings had sold out by early afternoon. “We want to show the world that Americans will not be told what we can or cannot watch. Personally, I am not afraid.”

At Atlanta’s Plaza Theater, another sell-out crowd Thursday celebrated the film’s release and showing with popcorn, beer and other cocktails before loudly joining in on a sing-along of “God Bless America” prior to the opening credits.

“This is way more fun than it would have been,” said Jim Kelley of Atlanta, who waited outside with his daughter, Shannon. The elder Kelley added, with mocking sarcasm, “This is almost dangerous, like we’re living life on the edge.”

In a show of defiance to the cyber terrorists and dictatorial regime, most theater security was relatively light. Sony and the movie industry may have been shook by the threat of a 9/11-style attack, but not the government. Homeland Security said there were no credible threats in a statement released last week.

Meanwhile, Kim Song, a North Korean diplomat to the United Nations, condemned the release of the movie Wednesday, calling it an “unpardonable mockery of our sovereignty and dignity of our supreme leader.” But Kim said North Korea would not respond with a “physical reaction.”

Decisions to show the movie through the Internet could open up companies to hacking. Xbox and PlayStation’s online gaming services were down Thursday afternoon but the cause was unclear. Meanwhile, YouTube and other Google products were not having any disruptions. A Microsoft spokesman confirmed the Xbox outage but declined further comment. Sony PlayStation representatives did not immediately respond to inquiries.

The movie is estimated to have earned approximately $1 million on the first day.