Sony may pull The Interview amid terrorist threats

[Himanshu Arora]

Update: The US' top five theater chains have decided not to play Sony's The Interview. These include Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas and Cineplex Entertainment. (via Hollywood Reporter)

Just a day after the group behind the attack on Sony Pictures allegedly posted a message on Pastebin threatening violence against movie theaters showing the studio’s upcoming film, The Interview, the company has put the ball in theater operators’ court, saying that they are free to decide whether or not to show the film, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The report notes that following Sony’s offer, Carmike Cinemas, which operates 278 theaters and 2,917 screens across 41 states, has decided against playing the Seth Rogen film, which is scheduled for a wide release on Christmas Day.

Earlier, the hackers had warned that they “will clearly show it to you at the very time and places The Interview be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to,” while also invoking the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- “Remember the 11th of September 2001.”

Along with the warning message, the group also released over 32,000 emails to and from Sony Pictures Entertainment chief Mr Lynton, who oversees the company’s movie, television and music businesses.

The warning triggered alarm across the cinema industry, with many fearing that the threat would have a negative impact on the overall ticket sales during the holiday season. As per the report, some have even urged SPE to cancel the film’s theatrical release entirely.

On the law enforcement side, DHS has said that there’s no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters within the country, while NYPD said, “Our primary posture is to have a police presence and a response capability that will reassure people who may have heard about this and have concerns”.

For those unaware, The Interview is a comedy movie about two journalists who are sent to North Korea to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un. In a recent letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the rogue nuclear state denounced the film as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war", although it denied any connection to the hacking attack.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59182-sony-may-pull-interview-amid-terrorist-threats.html

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Way to go, Hollywood. Sure, here in America we can make a movie about the death of our own president (Death of president - 2006), but we have free speech here. In North Korea their leader isn't a person, he's an infallible god who can do anything. Insulting him will get you killed, plotting to hurt him would get your family killed along with you. We don't have anything in America that is as offensive and horrible as killing the Dear Leader is in North Korea so we can't understand.
When they call it an act of war, I think they really believe it is.

 

[TomSEA]

Stupid move. Way to empower the *****s who take advantage of anonymity on the Internet. Now every anonymous cretin is going to be demanding this that or the other or "9/11 will happen again."

 

[JakeT]

Just like on 911.....Terrorists win!

 

[m4a4]

I hope they just put it on the internet. I'd love to see these *****s try to stop the internet. If it's a writeoff for Sony, then there's nothing to lose

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

It's a sad state of affairs when terrorists are allowed to dictate terms but these SOB's will get their butts handed to them pretty soon.

 

[Adhmuz]

When I do get my hands on a copy of this film I will gladly distribute it to everyone I can. They can call it an act of war all they want, it'll only end badly for them. You'd think in this day and age the rest of the world would understand one thing and one thing only, don't **** with the USA, or they will come in to your country, and try to force their way of life on you. So in a way you can see this as a way the US can help the people of Korea who are blatantly brainwashed by this over inflated dignitary, he goes apeshit, the US come in, "clears" up the situation, and the people of Korea live the rest of their lives in eternal gratitude towards the US. Now who's the terrorist?

 

[RustyTech]

Ok, I read the article, but this...:
"the group also released over 32,000 emails to and from Sony Pictures Entertainment chief Mr Lynton"

Holy cow! that's a SLoad of emails this Lynton wrote!!! I know there is no context of time..but still!!

 

[Uncle Al]

When you give in to terrorists you have legitimized terrorist activities. If Sony wanted to really strike a blow for democracy they would put it on the internet, free of charge, for anyone and everyone to see. Who knows, maybe a few South Korean journalist would be inspired!

 

[Guest]

They should pull the movie and make it actually happen... just saying.

 

[OneSpeed]

Put it on TV...the old fashioned way.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

When I do get my hands on a copy of this film I will gladly distribute it to everyone I can. They can call it an act of war all they want, it'll only end badly for them. You'd think in this day and age the rest of the world would understand one thing and one thing only, don't **** with the USA, or they will come in to your country, and try to force their way of life on you. So in a way you can see this as a way the US can help the people of Korea who are blatantly brainwashed by this over inflated dignitary, he goes apeshit, the US come in, "clears" up the situation, and the people of Korea live the rest of their lives in eternal gratitude towards the US. Now who's the terrorist?

Um....Sony is a Japanese company....

 

[Adhmuz]

Um....Sony is a Japanese company....

Yes and Hollywood is American... Glad we could settle that.

 

[9Nails]

It's pretty insane how these crazy hackers can influence a studio. Now I understand that the innocent theater employees and patrons are removed from risk if the film isn't released to a theater, but what happens to the movie? Does it go straight to DVD, HBO, Cable TV? Or is it just lost in some archive to never be seen?

 

[captaincranky]

I think our government should back us, and Sony up on this issue. First, nuke Pyongyang and get it over with. Quite frankly, this is a good idea whose time has come. Is anybody else sick of the pouting and threats, nuclear or otherwise, that come out of North Korea's, "despot du jour in elevator shoes", or is it just me?

Then round up these hackers, and send them in to look for bodies in the nuclear rubble, as "community service". This in lieu of putting their sneaky, overly spoiled, overly demanding, sissy little selves in jail, and annoying our hard working, upstanding, real criminals with them.

 

[drjekelmrhyde]

I think our government should back us, and Sony up on this issue. First, nuke Pyongyang and get it over with. Quite frankly, this is a good idea whose time has come. Is anybody else sick of the pouting and threats, nuclear or otherwise, that come out of North Korea's, "despot du jour in elevator shoes", or is it just me?

Then round up these hackers, and send them in to look for bodies in the nuclear rubble, as "community service". This in lieu of putting their sneaky, overly spoiled, overly demanding, sissy little selves in jail, and annoying our hard working, upstanding, real criminals with them.

So spend countless billions and piss off China and SK(they have to live with the fallout from a nuke) for a Japanese company?

There is something much bigger that these guys are holding over Sony. Sony is in no shape or form to just toss $44 million unless it's something explosive.

 

[captaincranky]

So spend countless billions and piss off China and SK(they have to live with the fallout from a nuke) for a Japanese company?

For a Japanese company, hell no! For general principles, hell yeah!

Besides, the Japanese are used to our fallout. Meanwhile, Obama could just print and send another boatload or three of our money to China to placate them. In fact, we could simply send the Chinese Bitcoins, and tell them they're better than US dollars.(Which could actually be true).

Then too, you could just wait for a string of days when the wind was blowing out to sea, and fire away.

There is something much bigger that these guys are holding over Sony. Sony is in no shape or form to just toss $44 million unless it's something explosive.

Yeah, they're the most important people on earth, just ask them.

All this talk of bombing someone to oblivion, makes me wax fondly for the days when we were actively developing a neutron weapon. It just kills people, and leaves the infrastructure mostly intact, Not much fallout either, if I understood it correctly. Ah, those were the good old days...(y)