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Top movie-theater chains cancel premiere showings of “The Interview” Sony cancels premiere showings of “The Interview”
(35 minutes later)
The country’s top movie-theater chains will cancel premiere showings of The Interview, backing down to threats from the Sony Pictures Entertainment hackers who threatened a “bitter fate” for the movie’s viewers, according an industry executive. Sony Pictures Entertainment has cancelled the Christmas-day release of The Interview, bowing to threats of a wide-scale attack from the hackers that have tormented it for weeks.
The largest five theater circuits — Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas and Cineplex Entertainment — have decided against showing the film on its planned release date, Dec. 25, according to a person familiar with their decisions who asked not to be named because the chains had not made a public announcement. It’s not clear when the film will be shown in those theaters, if at all. Sony said in a statement Wednesday it is “deeply saddened at [the hackers’] brazen effort” to suppress the movie, and opted “not to move forward” with the Dec. 25 release.
The Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy, which details an assassination attempt against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was at the center of a sharp warning released Tuesday by the hacker group, known as Guardians of Peace. Before that, the largest five theater circuits — Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas and Cineplex Entertainment — said they would delay the $44 million film. It’s unclear when the film will premiere.
The group claiming responsibility for the hack at Sony warned people “to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.)” They added, “The world will be full of fear,” and to “remember the 11th of September 2001.” Regal, the nation’s largest, said it would delay the screening “due to the wavering support of the film” by Sony, “as well as the ambiguous nature” of the threats. Cinexplex said it “takes seriously its commitment to the freedom of artistic expression,” but added that safety was paramount due to the “unprecedented and complex situation.”
That a anonymous hacking squad could derail the plans for one of the world’s biggest entertainment firms, experts said, marks a worrying new precedent for cyberterror that could encourage even more attacks. With one inexpensive hack, a team of cybercriminals can generate the kinds of international fear once only achievable through bomb or terror threats.
“This is the real danger to corporate America in the cyber domain,” said Alec Ross, a senior fellow at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs. “The cost to build powerful malignant weapons is shockingly low. There are very well-developed communities of hackers for hire all over the world that can develop very powerful cyberweapons for exceedingly low costs.”
Guardians of Peace, the group claiming responsibility for the Sony hack, issued a sharp warning this week promising a “bitter fate” for viewers of the movie and warning others “to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.”
“The world will be full of fear,” they said in an anonymous online posting. “Remember the 11th of September 2001.”
Though some U.S. investigators have blamed North Korea for the hack, the nation has denied involvement. The reclusive government, however, has called it “a righteous deed” and threatened to undertake “a merciless countermeasure” due to the film’s premiere.
The North Korean government has called the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy, which ends with the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a “most blatant act of terrorism and war.”
The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday there is no credible evidence suggesting an active plot against American movie theaters in connection with the hack.The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday there is no credible evidence suggesting an active plot against American movie theaters in connection with the hack.
Still, Bow Tie Cinemas, a smaller chain that runs 55 theaters across six states, said in a statement Wednesday it was “saddened and angered by recent threats of terrorism” and, “given that the source and credibility of these threats is unknown,” the chain would cancel the Christmas premiere of the movie. Still, Bow Tie Cinemas, a smaller chain that runs 55 theaters across six states, said in a statement Wednesday it was “saddened and angered by recent threats of terrorism” and, “given that the source and credibility of these threats is unknown,” the chain would cancel the movie’s Christmas premiere.
That decision brought its own backlash, as people took to Facebook to call the chain “cowards” for “kowtowing” to the threats. Bow Tie spokesman Joe Masher said in response, “The safety of our patrons and staff are our number one priority. Period. It was a difficult decision for us to make.”That decision brought its own backlash, as people took to Facebook to call the chain “cowards” for “kowtowing” to the threats. Bow Tie spokesman Joe Masher said in response, “The safety of our patrons and staff are our number one priority. Period. It was a difficult decision for us to make.”
Carmike also confirmed it was pulling the film Tuesday. Messages left with AMC Entertainment, Regal Entertainment, Cineplex and Cinemark were not immediately returned. Sony this week told theater chains it “wouldn’t object” if they cancelled screenings. The movie’s East Coast premiere, scheduled for Thursday at Landmark Theatres’ Sunshine Cinema in New York, was also canceled, though the movie’s Los Angeles happened without incident last week.
Although some U.S. investigators have blamed North Korea for the hack, North Korea has denied involvement. The reclusive government, however, has called it “a righteous deed” and threatened to undertake “a merciless countermeasure” due to the film’s premiere. The movie, it said, was a “most blatant act of terrorism and war.” Neither Sony nor theaters would say how long that delay could last. The National Association of Theatre Owners said in a statement that its member theaters “may decide to delay exhibition” until “the responsible criminals are apprehended.”
Sony this week told theater chains it “wouldn’t object” if they cancelled screenings. With the premiere scuttled, Sony could choose to unveil the film later in theaters or elect to skip the big screen altogether, by releasing via video-on-demand. That would upend a longtime agreement between theaters and film studios, traditionally demanding months-long delays between big-screen premieres and at-home viewing.
The movie’s New York premiere Thursday was canceled at Landmark Theatres’ Sunshine Cinema, though its Los Angeles premiere already happened last week.
Rogen declined to comment, and messages left with Franco were not returned. The duo has cancelled talk-show appearances and other media interviews in the wake of the threats.