Paramount Orders Texas Theater Not to Show 'Team America'

AUSTIN, Texas — After Sony Pictures Entertainment cancelled the release of their movie The Interview, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema had announced plans to swap the film with a free showing of Team America: World Police, released by Paramount Pictures in 2004, but now Paramount is ordering the theater not to show that film either.

Both films are comedies that pit American characters facing off against a satirical portrayal of a North Korean leader. The Interview features Seth Rogen and James Franco as two characters who are hired to assassinate current North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Team America, co-written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, had singing marionette characters representing an American anti-terrorism task force fighting Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un’s now-deceased father. The North Korean government had expressed outrage at both films, and had sought — unsuccessfully — to have Team America banned in other countries.

After a massive data breach and threats from cyberterrorist hackers opposing The Interview and America’s largest movie theater chains announcing that they would not show the film, Sony took the “unprecedented step” of cancelling the film’s planned December 25 release, as Breitbart News reported. The Alam0 Drafthouse then announced on their Facebook page that they would show Team America in a special showing at their Dallas/Fort Worth location. Breitbart Texas contacted the Alamo Drafthouse and employees in the box office at a South Austin location said that they were planning a similar showing but had not yet finalized plans. The Capitol Theater in Cleveland and Plaza Atlanta in Atlanta also announced they would show Team America instead.

On Thursday, Deadline reported that Paramount was ordering the theaters not to show Team America. So far, no specific reason has been given for the cancellation. Alamo Drafthouse posted an update on their Facebook page announcing the cancellation, “Due to to circumstances beyond our control, the screening of TEAM AMERICA on December 27th has been cancelled as the film has been removed from release. We apologize to anyone who has bought advance tickets and will be providing full refunds today.”

Investigations into the data breach at Sony are ongoing, according to federal officials. Breitbart Texas attempted to contact the public relations representative for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, but calls were not returned as of press time. Breitbart News will continue to follow this story.

Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter @rumpfshaker.