Cinemas in the US will show 'The Interview' on Christmas Day, despite threats to cinemagoers.

The December 25 release of the movie, which includes the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, was originally pulled following threats to cinemagoers by hackers.

In the cyber attack, the hackers also obtained and released sensitive emails involving executives at Sony Pictures - the studio behind the comedy.

US authorities have blamed the cyber attack on North Korea - a claim Pyongyang denies, and President Barack Obama said America "will respond" to the hacking.

Sony had defended its decision to cancel the film mocking the North Korean regime.

In a statement last weekend, the company said it had "no choice" but to pull The Interview, because cinema chains across the US had backed away from showing the film.

Mr Obama strongly criticised the move to pull the release, saying he believed the studio had "made a mistake".

Celebrities and film-makers have also slammed the decision, saying Hollywood had "caved in" to threats.

Now several independent cinemas say they will show it on Thursday, including The Drafthouse in Alamo, Texas, and the Plaza Atlanta in Georgia.

The movie stars Seth Rogen and James Franco who are recruited by the CIA in a plot to kill Kim Jong-Un.