‘The Interview’ to air in Folsom on Christmas Day

The Sony picture “The Interview” will be released theatrically Christmas Day in at least two Sacramento-area theaters.

Palladio 16 Cinemas in Folsom and Angels 6 Theatres in Angels Camp, both owned by Petaluma-based Cinema West, confirmed Tuesday they will show the film starting Thursday. Palladio will screen “The Interview” at eight daily show times, and Angels 6 has two showings scheduled. Cinema West will show the movie at six of its 10 California theaters and one of its two Idaho locations.

Davis’ Varsity theater is also discussing showing the movie starting Jan 16 but had yet to lock down plans Tuesday night.

“I don’t think it was the right call to pull it,” said Martin Anaya, who runs the Sacramento International Film Festival. While he said the plot – a goofball assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un – was in poor taste, it now should be Sony’s mission to get it to as many customers as possible through theaters and video-on-demand.

“This needs to backfire on North Korea,” Anaya said. The country has been linked to hackers who issued threats against theaters that show the movie.

Laurie Pederson, executive director of Capital Film Arts Alliance, said that while the film’s stars, Seth Rogen and James Franco, were already bankable attractions, more people will likely see the movie now out of patriotism. She said she’s not sure she would have gone out of her way to see it before, but will now.

“It’s now become this whole historical event,” Pederson said.

This story was originally published December 23, 2014 at 3:08 PM with the headline "‘The Interview’ to air in Folsom on Christmas Day."