While over 300 independent theaters screened The Interview on Christmas Day without any problems, audiences at a Clifton, New Jersey theater were left a bit surprised when their screening was cut short because of a power outage.
Audiences at the 1:30 p.m. screening had every reason to be shocked, since hackers had threatened theaters that would show the film about a plot to assassinate North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. That threat was the reason why the film’s wide release was cancelled by Sony.
However, NorthJersey.com reports that the cause for the power outage at Allwood Cinemas 6 was nothing sinister. A Public Service Electic and Gas Co. spokeswoman told the site that there was a downed power line, although they aren’t sure what caused the break.
The outage lasted 15 minutes and around 1,300 customers in the area were affected. It happened towards the end of the film. When the power came back on, the theater staff said that customers could get a ticket stub for another showing. Unfortunately, the next one was sold out and the staff couldn’t just show the audience the last five minutes.
“Some people ran out of the theater,” Barry Cohen, who was at the screening, told ABC News. “There was another couple near us, the woman turned to her husband and said, 'Let's get out of here!' She didn't even wait for a refund or anything.”
In addition to the limited theatrical release, Sony also posted the film on Google Play, YouTube and XBox Video.
image of ‘The Interview’ star James Franco courtesy of Dara Kushner/INFphoto.com