Showtimes For Christmas Week Screenings Of 'The Interview' In Ann Arbor

The Michigan Theater announced on Tuesday, December 23 that Ann Arbor's State Theater (233 S. State St.) would feature screenings of "The Interview" on Christmas Day, despite Sony Pictures' previous decision to pull the controversial movie from theaters. The times for those screenings, plus others happening through January 1, have just become available: 6:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, December 25-27; 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 28; 6:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, December 29-30; 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31; and 6:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 1. There won't be pre-sales for tickets to these screenings, and the box office will open 30 minutes before the first screening. "We're well aware of the interest, but we're not having a pre-sale," said Barbara Twist, conference manager for Art House Convergence. "Our first (non-'Interview') movie showing that day is at 4 p.m., so we will have staff there earlier who can do some line control." In addition, Ann Arbor's Quality 16, located at 3686 Jackson Rd., will screen "The Interview" on Thursday, December 25 at 4:25 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9:35 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, December 26-27, at 11:15 a.m., 1:50 p.m., 4:25 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:35 p.m., and 12:10 a.m.; Sunday-Tuesday, December 28-30, at 11:15 a.m., 1:50 p.m., 4:25 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9:35 p.m. Tickets for these screenings are available in advance through Quality 16's website. The movie comedy tells the story of a tabloid TV reporter (James Franco) and his producer (Seth Rogen). When the two men are invited to North Korea to interview Kim Jong-un, the CIA intervenes and tries to train the pair to become would-be assassins. The film prompted a North Korean group calling itself Guardians of Peace to hack Sony's systems, release information to the public, and make threats toward Americans planning to see the film in theaters on Christmas Day. Though Sony ended up pulling "The Interview" from theaters, the company announced a change of heart on Tuesday, December 23, confirming that the movie would be available in limited release starting on the original opening day, December 25. A press release from the Michigan Theater has more details about the State Theater's screenings. Michigan Theater Executive Director Russ Collins, who is also director of the national organization Art House Convergence, recently wrote an open letter, on behalf of AHC, to Sony Entertainment Inc.'s chairman and CEO, Michael Lynton, and Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group co-chair, Amy Pascal, regarding the release of the controversial new comedy. "Circumstance has propelled 'The Interview' into a spotlight on values, both societal and artistic, and in honor of our support, we want to offer our help in a way that honors our long tradition of defending creative expression," stated Collins. “Art house cinemas are committed to the ideas of freedom of expression, artistic freedom, richness and diversity in cinematic choices. We are appreciative of what Sony has been through; this was always about simply supporting a colleague and letting them know we were here to help." Ben Freed contributed to the reporting in this story. Source:mlive