After five major theatrical distributors across Northern American said they would no longer be screening the movie and following the cancellation of its New York premiere, Sony Pictures have finally cancelled the theatrical release of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Kim Jong-Un assassination comedy The Interview having received threats of physical violence and acts of terrorism.
In a statement released overnight [via Variety], Sony attributed their decision to cancel the film’s theatrical release with the safety of their customers in mind, using the opportunity to once again condemn the actions of the hackers responsible for the widely-damaging leaks, a group calling themselves Guardians of Peace:
“In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business.
“Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”
An email sent yesterdayallegedly originating from the group responsible read in part:
“The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.)”
The Interview was originally slated for an Australian theatrical release date on January 22nd. Sony are said to be already considering releasing the film in video on demand format as an alternative.
UPDATE: According to CNN, investigators have determined that hackers working for North Korea were behind the Sony attack. The U.S. Government is expected to “assign attribution” of the incident in a statement tomorrow.
