Ann Arbor's State Theater To Show 'The Interview' On Christmas Day

ANN ARBOR (CBS Detroit) Sony Pictures says "The Interview," the controversial comedy that features the fictionalized death of North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un, will come out -- in limited release -- on Christmas Day after all.

And one of the theaters on the list is in Ann Arbor.

The State Theater in Ann Arbor will show "The Interview," a Seth Rogen romp about the assassination of Kim Jong-un. The controversial movie was pulled by Sony over a hack the White House attributed to North Korea and threats of violence.

Spokesman Russ Collins of the Art House Convergence, the independent theater group that informed Sony its theaters will carry the film, told WWJ's Sandra McNeill it's not usual fare for theaters of that ilk.

"A comedy by Seth Rogan, starring James Franco, is not typically what you would expect to see at an art house," Collins said.

He added the correlation happens when you put freedom of expression and artistic expression into the mix.

Ann Arbor police say they'll have extra patrols in the area but no dedicated officers on hand.

"There's theaters in Atlanta and I'm sure there will be theaters in L.A. and New York and all over the country," Collins said.

Here's Sony's official statement about the decision to release the movie in about 100 theaters, quoting chairman and CEO Michael Lynton:

"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. 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."

"I want to thank our talent on The Interview and our employees, who have worked tirelessly through the many challenges we have all faced over the last month. While we hope this is only the first step of the film's release, we are proud to make it available to the public and to have stood up to those who attempted to suppress free speech."