We’re pretty sure that only Sony could spend approximately $40 million on a movie that has to be scrapped a week before release because of intensifying threats. The firm announced yesterday that it’s ditching all 25th December release plans for its latest flick The Interview, after a hacking group named the Guardians of Peace threatened a 9/11-esque attack on American theatres.
The picture itself – which stars Seth Rogan and James Franco in the lead roles – is a comedy involving a fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The decision follows a cyber attack on Sony Pictures, which has seen dozens of confidential emails, data, and scripts leaked to the media. According to quotes by anonymous US officials, the FBI has linked the aforementioned nation to the hack.
Earlier in the week, the company gave theatres the option to run the movie, with all of the biggest chains pulling out. This has resulted in the cancellation of the film, with a spokesperson telling the BBC earlier today that it has no plans to release the movie – not even through on-demand platforms like Netflix. Fortunately, the firm’s stocks have held fairly strong, dropping just 5 per cent since the hack.
In a statement, the company said that it was “deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie”, but that it “respects and understands” the decision of its partners to not show the film. "We stand by our film makers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome,” the organisation’s official comment on the matter concluded.
This is quite an incredible turn of events, and has naturally sparked a great deal of discussion around the web. We can’t comment on the content of the movie because we haven’t seen it, but it’s extraordinary to us that the balance of power has swung so much in recent years that hackers now have the ability to shut down $40 million projects with ease – simply because they don’t like them.
[source bbc.co.uk]
Comments 25
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi No one was going to show the movie, though. They gave theatres the choice, and everyone pulled out.
"It has no plans to release the movie – not even through on-demand platforms like Netflix."
This surprises me more then pulling if from theaters.
@get2sammyb It's not just the hacking that shut the movie down. It was the terrorist threats claiming to attack the theaters that sunk it. Liability no one wanted to show the Movie that could potentially get their theater bombed. I wish Sony would still put it out on bluray or video on demand as a kind of F U to these jerks.
Although from what I read the Japanese govt is concerned the drama over the movie could effect hostage negotiations with North Korea so maybe that's why sony agreed to scrap the whole thing.
@Ps4all As I understand, though, those threats came from the same hacking group, right?
This is incredible, what a bunch of timid little sissies we've become..
This move just empowers the terrorists imo
Sadly terroristic threats remain regardless of this movie... I agree this move only empowers the terrorists that made the threats. Sensitive subject though. Perhaps not the wisest call from Sony or the directors/writers in these times. That wasted 40 million though .....
I'm not sure the movie will be cancelled for good, it just says Dec 25th plans are cancelled, and of course they won't be saying when it's going come out now. There are a number of reasons not release it on Christmas. One being even that if they were hacked by NK, then they don't want their servers down on Christmas. They would be a disaster.
I also wouldn't be surprised if the movie failed too. It looks horrible. So even if it is cancelled completely then, they might just be cutting loses based on the idea it didn't then out well anyway.
@get2sammyb - Thought this might be the thing that forced your hand.
(If that comment doesn't make any sense then you probably didn't get my earlier self destructing comment before it self destructed.)
Sony pulling the movie was the only logical choice. 5 theater chains yanked it just hours before Sony's announcement. Even if Sony hadn't yanked it it wasn't going to be shown anywhere anyway, it's better Sony yank it than they don't and only 3 theaters in America show it and Sony has to keep answering the question on why they didn't yank it.
And my guess is nobody involved w/ the theaters feared an attack, they just feared people not showing up to any of the other 15 screens in the multiplex for fear of something bad happening. Better to leave the 1 screen blank or put up another showing of The Hobbit than risk 16 near empty theaters.
Downside, it does look like the terrorists won. Hard to get around that fact. I'm usually pretty good at taking up both sides of any argument but this just looks bad.
Video game related - I can't help but think these groups will still have something planned for Christmas that effects the Sony networks. Maybe something as simple as a day long DDOS attack, maybe something a little stronger and longer lasting. But I'd suggest either sign in the night before and that way maybe you get to remain logged in - or just plan on skipping a day online. If you are getting a PS3/4/Vita/TV present it might be a good idea to get it online beforehand. I'm planning on keeping my new PS3 boxed until Friday. (I got a PS3 mostly for bedroom streaming b/c I got sick of waiting for PS TV to get Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime. Bigger and costs more than Amazon or Roku devices, but it's also a blu ray player w/ optical out. And I needed a 4th Dualshock for my main PS3 for LBP3. And Disney Infinity 2.0 looked like a decent throw in at $170.)
Muppets, Sony should stream the movie on whatever platform it can, sell it to the TV networks, put it on bluray and DVD and just get it out there. I would buy several copies just to piss off the hackers. Hopefully the Feds get them. This is beyond a joke
@BLPs
I'm sure that Sony Pictures American employees would like the hackers arrested/stopped. Sony may be Japanese, but they have substantial companies in all territories. This sort of nonsense should be stamped out.
And here I thought this was a videogame site
I am glad they are not showing it. Seeing this after the Cuban approach yesterday seems wrong and counterproductive.
America doesn't negotiate with terrorists? Admittedly its difficult to negotiate when you've just rolled over and given in. Unbelievable.
Well showing the movie is in bad taste really. More of a slap in the face to north Korea. The movie being pulled is fair. Don't get me wrong the movie looked good but perhaps making a movie about killing a hostile countries leader isn't the smartest thing to do
@BLPs it's about a tv show host travelling to meet Kim Jong Un and interview him. During the interview he is supposed to assassinate him. Same reason night of the living dead wasn't called "dead people turning up at a house".
Alot of people are saying that we gave in to the terrorists and oh what a bunch of sissy's America has become but let's get the facts straight here.
1). Sony Pictures is not America, our government didn't pull it Sony did.
2). If an attack did happen as a result would you want to be the person who went along and showed the film anyway? Would you want that blood on your hands?
3). Not only that but think of the financial ramifications this could bring Sony if they ignored the threats and there was an attack and hundreds of people died. How many wrongful death suits would be filed against Sony and every theater that showed the film?
People criticized about that guy that open fired in the theater during Dark Knight Rises saying that could have been avoided and the theater should have taken precautions. Now Sony and the theaters are against these threats and people are mad? I just don't understand people at times.
@Bad-MuthaAdedisi: So what you are saying is that a movie is worth people's lives?
Despicable cowards all, Sony and the theaters. The United States first (public?) large scale loss in cyber war, and to North Korea of all things. This needs to be shown still by whatever means. You can't let people like this get away with it because it has far reaching and more frightening consequences of allowing an outside nation dictate our freedoms which the US allows and they do not. I've seen various suggestions and Romney was the best — stream it online for free, then have a donation box where you can give to a cause. I imagine the amount of pissed off people globally, US citizens in general would fork over some quality money to another's benefit. Sony has lost their money on it as it stands, at least make a positive out of it, then someday later, blu-ray and streaming services.
Tasuki NO a movie isn't worth peoples lives. The rights and freedoms of this country and not having them dictated by chickens**t external powers is entirely worth it.
@BetweenTheTrees farrrrrrrrrr more offensive movies have been made. This doesn't even come across as offensive. We can't have people shut stuff down they don't like just cos they are butthurt by the subject matter. Plenty of films disturb and offend me (some are tasteless and directly attack ethnic or religious groups by depicting them in a totally inaccurate and inflammatory manner), but if people want to watch them and enjoy them, that is their choice. I'm not gonna go firebombing all of a sudden. Most of the stuff Sasha Baron Cohen does, although funny as hell, seems far worse than this.
North Korea isn't a joke right now. Neither is a political assassination carried out there by an opposing nat'l gov't. Gotta remember the countless successfully carried-out threats that were ignored. Nobody wants to deal with the real-life reaction, especially if it's just the plot of some dumb movie that caused it.
...Did anybody even wanna see this movie anyways? Who cares, good riddance
@Tasuki Thats right, we have become a bunch of politically correct panty-waists!
1). Sony is a global conglomerate, and the movie was made by Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., which is an American subsidiary of the Sony corporation. Also, the whole thing started as a result of American movie theater chains(AMC, Regal, and Cinemark)decision to yank it.
2). Do you really think that these hackers, even if they were North Korean, have the capacity or balls to do such a thing? And even if they did, the blood wouldnt be on the hands of the Theaters or Sony, it would be on the attackers. And as Americans, it's our FREEDOM to make the decision ourselves whether or not we want to take that risk! And this reaction by these companies that bowed to this threat have helped erode that freedom!
3). See above.
As for the theater shootings such as Aurora CO., those were completely different circumstances, and were surprise attacks by insane individuals. And it didnt stop theaters from showing movies, or people going to see them.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi If the FBI can be hacked, I guess anyone can. Your anger is misguided
@tanookisuit
Exactly right, what's next?
Will ISIS start a similar campaign for media that they don't like? Will we roll over for those lunatics as well?
People need to think about this carefully, our freedom came at a terrible cost to our ancestors. We cannot let the mad men and cowards take it away
I'll be laughing my head off when Kim Jong Un is burning in hell. Hiring hackers to threaten people's lives over a movie is just sick imo. Their culture and way of living is f***ed up. They need to end this nonsense, and get rid of dictatorship.
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