BREAKING: Landmark Theatres said tonight that the New York premiere of Sony’s controversial comedy The Interview has been canceled. The event was set for Thursday night at the Sunshine Cinema on the Lower East Side. Earlier tonight, Sony had told exhibitors that they could pull the Seth Rogen-James Franco pic if they were worried about the terrorist threat issued this morning by the group that attacked Sony Pictures. Carmike Cinemas was the first chain to say it wouldn’t screen The Interview. Sony said this afternoon that Rogen and Franco have canceled their promo appearances for the remainder of the week.
Hackers threatened moviegoers who see the film in a message Tuesday morning, prompting Sony and exhibitors to scramble into emergency discussions on how to handle the new risk to the public. The threat, issued along with a new data dump containing emails stolen from Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton, specifically referenced The Interview for the first time since Sony’s crisis began on November 24.
This is ridiculous. Should we cave to all terrorist threats now? Give up our way of life for a bunch of losers? I’m disgusted.
This is why the “old timers” in our industry need to get out of the game now. They are lost at sea in the new landscape of the Media. Anyone between 30 – 40 knows this threat is as real as monopoly money. Landmark Theaters is run by people who barely know how to operate an I-Pad. They caved because they live in a world that they no longer know, a world that changes too fast for them to process. They are forever outsiders in an increasingly digital and non-linear landscape.
No Country for old men?
Or, you know, NYC theaters are a bit skittish when 9/11 is invoked.
I was wondering when someone will used 9/11 and what happened in the Colorado movie theater last year.
Wow, very well said
Aw that’s a shame.
Because of the threat, I’m gonna be wherever it’s playing on Xmas day!
I mean, if I don’t show up high at a Seth Rogan movie on the Jewish day of movies and Chinese food, then I have failed as a Jew.
Just go buy some hoisin sauce and a ntflx.
Shhhessh.
Sigh. Come on, people, have a backbone for once.
sony is only allowing this at the behest of the distributors. they are playing the mea culpa card and no one is buying it. people don’t want to see or show this film, which is forcing sony into pulling it.
i want to see this film. dont speak for me!
Sony needs to own the film and move the focus to the issues in NK while giving the public a sense of safety. Don’t let others shoulder the responsibility. Release the movie and let Murica! Be!
Sometimes it’s OK when the terrorists win.
So we let the terrorists win? This is a comedy and should be treated as such. Obama should get involved in a publically-held corporation being attacked by hacker group that is implying they are obviously acting at the behest of North Korea and if nothing else get the UN involved.
If a precedent is not started here concerning these types of actions things will only get worse for companies that hold much more personal information for many more citizens than SPE does.
WAKE UP PEOPLE!! This is going to set a VERY VERY dangerous precedent!! Any time we write a script, have an original idea, or make a movie from now on that could even BE PERCEIVED as offensive to another country or group (pretty much EVERY movie) is going to be nixed, from fear of retaliation.
This is the beginning of the end if we allow hackers to dictate what movies we can and can’t make!! Believe me, other groups are paying attention to this and will take this as a sign that this is all they have to do if they want a certain movie mothballed.
Everyone in the entertainment industry has a stake in this. Everyone.
Where’s Harvey Weinstein when you need him?
Please. OK, I’ll be the ones to say it. What were Rogen and Franco thinking? More importantly, what was SONY thinking? We’re going to produce and release a “comedy” about the assassination of the real life president of North Korea (cue laugh track). What did you expect North Korea to do? You want me to lay my life on the line for a Seth Rogen comedy? What exactly are the ideals and truths being revealed in this movie? It was a stupid idea to begin with. It was an even dumber idea to produce and distribute this movie. Thank you to the movie theaters who are the first ones to truly understand the risk involved here. We need to be more considerate about how the U.S. and Americans in general are viewed by other cultures. This movie is insensitive and inappropriate. Shut it down.
Dude. Move there. Seriously. Since you don’t care about American values, and think only “appropriate” and “sensitive” should be allowed, you’ll fit right in there. Enjoy.
Carver, you are an idiot. This movie was masterful. It was a state department play from A to Z, likely financed through government shell corporations. The idea is this simple: The american media is more powerful than all of your defunct nukes combined….and we’re coming to “get you” with two of the biggest stars on the planet. Pure genius.
America should continue to make such movies. What a weakling fool you are to suggest that we don’t make movies that offend other nations. As a producer it is my ultimate DREAM to fly out to Washington and broker a deal with the state department to make pro military films that are co financed by companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and others, and to promote our dominance on the world scale. I don’t know what you “do” in this industry, but you clearly are not “tall enough to ride this ride”. You are a joker!!
Educated Mind (surely the opposite) – are you for real?! “What a weakling fool you are” sounds like a line a Bond baddie would say. Err yes what a ‘dream’ to work with Lockheed Martin on a pro military movie. I’d love to see their script notes…..
cuckoo…cuckoo…cuckoo…
Pro-military movies with lots of hardware? Michael Bay beat you to it.
amen EM.
North Korea can make a movie simulation about laulaunching a nuke and blowing up the white house and killing millions of Americans in the process but we can’t make amovie about assassinating 1 dictator in a comedy cause it offends them.Let the movie play.We are Americans and we will not bow down to threats from terreristic countries.
Greg – I couldn’t agree with you more – I’m shocked that they have no backbone – now anyone can dictate what will get shown or watched, written or produced – really??? Free Speech people. Protest if you don’t like someting, but at least there’s the right to say it unless you’re Sony. Stand up, people!
I agree with Greg Frithe about a very very dangerous precedent. It is very hard to get any film to be make and now hackers will rule the roost. Let be honest how many people would have hear about this movie because of this hackers mess.
EXACTLY Greg Frithe. This is so saddening and SUCH a bad move.
Right on Greg Frithe. It is hard to get any film/tv program beyond the planning stage without worry getting the money to make it . I hope that the hacker will be caught and the law will throw the book at them.
I have never seen a Seth Rogen film and can only just barely tolerate James Franco – furthermore this film seems stupid, reckless, an unnecessarily offensive. But I have resolved to go see it because I am sick to f*cking death of America being pushed around by cowardly, thuggish assholes of any and every persuasion. For any entity to cave in to this bullshit is the equivalent of negotiating with terrorists: they are the only ones who win.
It’d be kind of easy to spot a North Korean sleeper cell at a movie theater: they’d all be 70 pounds and be in a trance-like daze while staring at all of the concessions.
This is so helpful.
I dont believe a film should be censored due to pressure from another group who takes offense. That applies to this film as well as to films like Passion of the Christ.
However, while Passion was about people who supposedly lived 2000 yrs ago. The Interview is about a REAL life world leader who is alive NOW and is murdered in their film. I can see why NKorea would be pissed off. Hell USA would be pissed off if ISIS made films which depicted killing our leaders.
I’m really shocked Sony had the bad taste to give that a green light. How ironic. And stupid.
But I’ll still buy a ticket – even tho I’m not interested in seeing – because I support their right to make and show distasteful movies and not be pressured by terrorists.
it’s just a movie relax nobody said nothing about the movie Hot Shots 1&2 when that came out with Charlie Sheen!!!! I guarantee you James Franco and Seth Rogen get along with Kim in the end of the movie they talk about world peace they probably smoke a joint together! I just don’t want nobody getting hurt over a stupid movie so maybe Its not a bad idea to not show the movie!
if all of this exposes sleazy execs and keeps bad movies from being seen then I’d hardly call this an “attack.”
Wasn’t seeing this movie anyway, so no big whoop over here.
It is sad to read how terrorist will rule our life. Let face it a movie called The Interview wouldn’t be view by the average citizen will know about it. This mess will give Sony Pictures all the free press. Sony will get their money back and it will be interested to see how and what kind of deal when the DVD become available affect it .
This stupid film was custom made to be a “victory” for terrorists and hackers. Sony Films brass is just too stupid to realize that a Japanese mega-corp making a film insulting a dangerous and reckless Asian leader would force them to do something. All N. Korea had to do was fund a hacker group. Hollywood, despite all of their talk of cultural sensitivity, does not give a crap about, or understand, other cultures. They don’t give a crap who gets hurt so long as they get to express their free speech. Yes we do have, and should protect, free speech. But intelligence and compassion, especially if you run a huge international film studio, somtimes dictates knowing when to keep your mouth shut.
Sony Films has made a national hero out of Kim Jong-un because of their stupidity. This is something all those living under his oppression or threats of nuclear missiles did not need or deserve. This is a story about spoiled Hollywood brats who seem to have no clue there are real international dangers in the world. There are 100 movies about Korean’s that could have been made that could have told important stories and helped with their plight, not hurt them. But to these jerks free speech means making money at all costs, no matter who gets stepped on.
No matter what Sony and the other theaters decide now, on Christmas day I will be at a Carmike Cinema or Landmark Theater watching a NON-Sony film. This film concept was reckless and dangerous from day one, intending to profit only on the controversy it created. Any decent script writter could have told Sony Films brass how many different ways this could have ended badly in the year 2014. Stupid, stupid, stupid studio bosses. This film simply never should have been made. Kim Jong-un is the only one profiting from this fiasco, and that is the greatest tragedy for the Korean people and their neighbors.
If there was ever a time to go day and date this is it
I’m so sick and tired of hearing about this. I’m sure its not even worth all of this media hype. Its a Seth Rogen film- you know it has to be bad
Ever wonder how people are beaten into camps and a way of life no one wants to suffer. Well thats what is happening with “The Interview”, wait, thats good right?And “if” this is NK, we could drop food, supplies and just about any magazine there and win them over, so lets not get all crazy with weak threats and video game skulls for background pictures…
The real threat? Corporate lawyers. This will only exacerbate the fear of creating and executing controversial material.
Ugh! Score one for the bad guys! I’ll bet Sony regrets ever giving this project the green light. “It seemed like a good idea at the time…”
People keep saying we can’t bow to terrorist groups. It looks like this is being done by the North Korean government not terrorists. Police officials say there is no need to worry because there is no terrorist chatter. That is because terrorists are not involved. It is Kim working with his government officials. Can the picture totally until the regime is overthrown, however long that takes.
Well, so much for the conspiracy theorists out there saying this is all a publicity stunt to turn a sub-par movie into a hit. Can’t be a hit if no theaters will show it.