GOP to back 'The Interview' if it gets to theaters

FILE: March 18, 2013: Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus gestures while speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (AP)

The GOP is calling on supporters to buy a ticket to the movie "The Interview" if theater owners reverse their decision not to show the film amid threats of retaliation for its comedic take on assassinating North Korea's leader.

The Republican Party chairman, Reince Priebus, says in a letter to theater chain executives that he's concerned that a foreign regime would be allowed to dictate the movies Americans can and cannot watch.

Noting that Hollywood and the GOP have had their differences, Priebus says the situation with "The Interview" is about freedom and free enterprise.

Priebus says he will ask Republican supporters to buy tickets "to show North Korea we cannot be bullied into giving up our freedom," and suggests part of the proceeds go to military charities.