Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

Movie Theaters Are Now Banned From Showing 'Team America,' Too Paramount has pulled the plug on theaters' answer to 'The Interview' fiasco.

By Ray Hennessey Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

We have seen the enemy, and the enemy is Hollywood.

No sooner had smaller theaters come up with an ingenious plan to fight the backlash against the James Franco-Seth Rogen flick The Interview, than Hollywood had to go and shut that down, too.

Yesterday, Alamo Drafthouse in the Dallas-Fort Worth area had announced it would screen the 2004 film Team America: World Police in lieu of The Interview, after Sony, caving to threats from hackers, pulled the movie from theaters. It was a logical choice, since Team Police, in puppet form, depicted the craziness of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il and ultimately his much-deserved death. The Interview has been the subject of a hack attack of Sony and threats of theater bombings because it depicts the craziness -- and ultimately much-deserved death -- of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. It seemed a fair swap.

Related: No, McDonald's Won't 'Ruin' Cuba

But Hollywood has squashed even this attempt at patriotism and entrepreneurship. Paramount, according to Alamo Drafthouse, has no longer made Team America eligible for release. As a result, the showing has been cancelled.

What is particularly egregious about Paramount's move is that it had no defensible reason to not allow the film to be shown. Sony has been the subject of hackers, presumably from North Korea (but, in theory, could even have come from inside the studio, for all we know). Paramount has not been the subject of any threats as far as anyone knows. But it is removing its marionette punchbowl from the party, even before it got started.

It seems odd that a decade-old movie about puppets killing terrorists and having tons of sex with one another would be a source of national pride and patriotism, but, well...it was. Over the course of a few hours, Team America became a symbol of how we Americans like to thumb our noses at threats and demands, particularly from Communist countries that haven't left the stone age, murder their own citizens and stomp their feet loudly to get our attention, like spoiled toddlers. Paramount is not letting us express that outrage.

However, the same entrepreneurial spirit that drove theaters like Alamo to show Team America in protest is still alive today.

There are always DVDs. Party anyone? F*ck yeah.

Related: Teaching Responsibility to Our Kids, Even When They Work for Us

Ray Hennessey

Former Editorial Director at Entrepreneur Media

Ray Hennessey is the former editorial director of Entrepreneur.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Career

Is Consumer Services a Good Career Path for 2024? Here's the Verdict

Consumer services is a broad field with a variety of benefits and drawbacks. Here's what you should consider before choosing it as a career path.

Business News

'Creators Left So Much Money on the Table': Kickstarter's CEO Reveals the Story Behind the Company's Biggest Changes in 15 Years

In an interview with Entrepreneur, Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor explains the decision-making behind the changes, how he approaches leading Kickstarter, and his advice for future CEOs.

Business Models

How to Become an AI-Centric Business (and Why It's Crucial for Long-Term Success)

Learn the essential steps to integrate AI at the core of your operations and stay competitive in an ever-evolving landscape.