Seth Rogen Expresses His Gratitude at First Public Screening of 'The Interview' [VIDEO]

An excited and happy Seth Rogen made an appearance at the first official theatrical screening of The Interview at the Cinafamily, an independent theatre in Los Angeles’ Fairfax district. Evan Goldberg was also in attendance, who co-directed and collaborated on the script with Rogen.

"Thank you so f—ing much for coming," Rogen told the sold-out crowd at a 12:35 a.m. screening early Christmas morning. "We thought this might not happen at all."

"This is our neighborhood," Goldberg added. "We live around here. ... The fact that it's showing here and you guys all came out..."

Rogen finished the thought: "It's super-f—ing exciting. So, we really wanted to say 'thank you.' If it wasn't for theaters like this and for people like you guys, this literally would not be f—ing happening right now. So thank you."

Outside the theatre there was also a lot of activity, as professional carolers sang, moviegoers dressed in combination Uncle Sam/Saint Nick costumes waved American flags, volunteers handed out cider, and TV news teams were virtually lined up to interview every arriving ticket-holder. Above the marquee was a huge American flag.

The Interview made a surprise VOD release via YouTube, Google Play, and Microsoft’s X-Box Video so fans could watch the movie at home for $5.99, but despite the options for streaming, Rogan nonetheless encouraged people to make an effort to see the film in one of the over 300 independent theatres that would be showing it on Christmas Day.

"A comedy is best viewed in a theater full of people," he tweeted Wednesday. "So if you can, I'd watch it like that. Or call some friends over."

Rogan’s entire speech from the screening at Cinafamily can be seen below.