SONY Pictures has said it will show "The Interview" in a limited of number of cinemas from Christmas Day, less than a week after its release was cancelled following a cyber-attack blamed on North Korea.

The decision comes after hundreds of independent movie theatres said they wanted to screen the film, about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, which major chains backed out of last week owing to security concerns.

The White House said Barack Obama applauded the move. The president had earlier described Sony's decision not to go ahead with the release of the film as a "mistake", saying: "We cannot have a dictator imposing censorship in the US."

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said yesterday: "As the president made clear, we are a country that believes in free speech, and the right of artistic expression. The decision made by Sony and participating theatres allows people to make their own choices about the film, and we welcome that outcome."

President Obama's rare public rebuke of a corporation fuelled the debate over freedom of speech and whether Hollywood was engaging in self-censorship, with stars including Ben Stiller and Aaron Sorkin joining in the criticism.

In a statement issued yesterday, Sony Pictures Chief Executive Michael Lynton said: "We have never given up on releasing 'The Interview' and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theatres on Christmas Day.

"At the same time, we are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theatres so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience."

The cyber-attack, which began last month, crippled Sony Pictures' computer system and led to an embarrassing leak of internal emails and sensitive documents.

The hackers, operating under the moniker Guardians of Peace, made unspecified threats to theatres planning to show the film, which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco. They demanded that Sony cancel the film's release.

The FBI has pinned the cyber-attack on North Korea, which had protested the film as far back as June. North Korea has denied it is behind the attack.

Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was one of the first to say it was authorised to screen the film. A theatre in Atlanta, the Plaza Atlanta, said on social media that it will also show the film.

An online petition launched by Art House Convergence, a de facto association of independent cinemas that pledged to screen "The Interview" if Sony chose to release it, had drawn more than 500 signatures from independent theatre owners, programmers and operators.