The White House lauded Sony Pictures’s decision Wednesday to authorize a limited theatrical release of its controversial comedy “The Interview.”
Last week, Sony axed the film’s planned major Christmas Day release, bowing to the demands of hackers who had leaked the film studio’s internal data and made violent threats against any theater screening the movie.
“The Interview” depicts a bumbling plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which angered the hermetic East Asian regime.
{mosads}President Obama recently said Sony had “made a mistake” with its decision to pull the movie.
After the studio reversed course Tuesday, the White House was quick to congratulate Sony on its move.
“The president applauds Sony’s decision to authorize screenings of the film,” the White House said in a statement. “As the President made clear, we are a country that believes in free speech, and the right of artistic expression.”
The film will only start in a few theaters; no major chains have committee to releasing it.
“The decision made by Sony and participating theaters allows people to make their own choices about the film, and we welcome that outcome,” the White House said.
One of the film’s stars, James Franco, joked Tuesday on Instagram that “President Obacco” had saved the film. In a Friday press conference, Obama referred to Franco as “James Flacco” a hybrid of the actor and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.