A festive atmosphere and free-speech advocacy permeated the Manassas 4 Cinemas Thursday as moviegoers arrived at the theater for the 12:50 Christmas Day showing of “The Interview,” The Washington Post reports.
It was the first at one of three D.C.-area theaters showing the controversial Seth Rogen film, which found itself in the middle of cyber controversy thanks to its storyline of an assassination attempt on North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. Sony Pictures Entertainment revealed hackers broke into the company’s computer systems and released embarrassing emails and other information. The company pulled the movie from release, then decided it would be shown in some theaters and also made available online and on demand.
About 80 people were in Manassas 4’s 320-seat theater, the largest of the four, for the 12:50 showing, The Post reports, with tickets costing $10 per adult.
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Ashburn and the West End Cinema located on M St. NW in the District were also planning to show the film.
