LOS ANGELES — Sony announced Tuesday a release plan for “The Interview” on Christmas Day that involves special screenings at a limited number of theaters.
Two theaters in Atlanta and Austin, Texas, said on Twitter on Tuesday that they had agreed to show the film, which is about an assassination plot against the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.
It is widely believed Sony Pictures suffered a cyberattack last month partly because of North Korea’s fury over the movie. Sony decided last week to shelve the movie after some of the largest theater chains said they wouldn’t carry the movie in the aftermath of the hacking.
The FBI said North Korea was behind the hack, and there was criticism from Hollywood and the White House to have the movie pulled.
Meanwhile, 6 of out 10 Americans think Sony overreacted by canceling the Christmas release of “The Interview.” And with each passing day, more of those people — including writers, independent theater owners and members of Congress — are speaking out.
But a petition titled “We the undersigned support Sony” started to pick up steam on Monday on the website Change.org. It was published by Art House Convergence, an association of independent theaters across the country.
Backers pledged to stand by Sony and “support theatrical engagements of ‘The Interview’ should Sony, at its sole discretion, decide to release it to theaters.”
It is unclear how many of the 220 signatures actually come from theater owners. But one of the signers, Josh Levin, the operator of the West End Cinema in Washington, D.C., wrote on Facebook that he had backed the petition because “I refuse to allow bullies to dictate what I can and cannot show.”
That same sentiment has been widespread on social media among people who now want to see the movie in order to make a statement. A growing number of organizations and politicians are offering to hold screenings.