Independent Theatre Owner Calls Major Chains, Film Studio âPussies,â Still Wants To Play âThe Interviewâ
With news breaking late Tuesday evening that most major movie theatre chains â including AMC, Cinemark, Cinemagic, and Regal, among others â would be dropping their bookings for the Seth Rogen comedyÂ The InterviewÂ over threats of violence from hackers, Sony Pictures officially announced that they would be pulling the film from theatres all together.One lone theatre owner in Massachusetts says heâs upset that heâs being denied a movie heâs had pre-booked for weeks.âI should be able to show whatever Goddamned movie I want to show,â said Cletus Lorde, 79. âIâve been showing the pictures here for the last 53Â years, and my dad was showing âem for another 40Â before that. Weâve always showed what the people want to see, and the local kids have said they want to see that film.âLorde says he is carrying on a tradition of showing controversial films started by his father, Francis Lorde, when he showed the pro-Ku Klux Klan filmÂ The Birth of a NationÂ back in 1917.âDad fought the town like crazy to be able to play that. The entire city council tried to shut the theatre down, but dad stood his ground and, in the end, he played it. The movie sold out every show for 2 straight months. Controversy brings the dollars. Thatâs another reason I want to make sure I play this movie. Thereâs a Regal theatre a few miles away; been stealing my business for the last decade. âBout time I take some back, if I do say so myself.âSony Pictures, the distribution company forÂ The Interview originally saidÂ they had no plans of completely pulling the film from theatres, andÂ would stand behind any company that didnât wish to play it, but changed their stance on Wednesday afternoon.âThose big-wigs at the megaplex chains and the studios, theyâre all a bunch of scared little pussies,â said Lorde. âThose big-talking internet assclownsÂ ainât gonna do nothing to nobody. Itâs all hogwash. You know, I wouldnât be surprised if the film company themselves is making this big deal out of it just to drum up business for when they release it on DVD. Damn home video is killing my theatre. Well I tell you what, olâ Cletus ainât afraid of no internet people, and I ainât afraid to show a movie with a little controversy, neither.Â If they change their minds yet again, my theatre will absolutely play it.âWhen asked what he thought about the fact that Â Sony was essentially giving in to demands of bullies, Lorde said heâs not surprised. âItâs just a giantÂ kick in the balls, both to potential viewers, and to little theatres like me who need that business,â said Lorde. âLooks like the terrorists really have won, because instead ofÂ The Interview,Â a movie people actually wanted to see, Iâll be stuck playingÂ Annie,Â a movie no one even asked for. I hate Hollywood.â