PAiN
12-18-2014, 01:45 AM
Sony pulls 'The Interview' release, set to blame North Korea for Sony hack
December 17, 2014
The U.S. is getting ready to blame North Korea for the mega hack on Sony Pictures, as the studio said Wednesday it would cancel next week's planned release of its controversial comedy "The Interview." U.S. investigators say an announcement pinning the blame on hackers working for the Pyongyang regime could come as soon as Thursday.
Because of the North Korean regime's tight control of the Internet in the reclusive country, U.S. officials believe the hack was ordered directly by the country's leadership.
North Korea experts say the country has spent scarce resources on building up a unit called "Bureau 121" to carry out cyber attacks.
Earlier Wednesday, Sony pulled the film, which depicts the assassination of North Korea's leader, following a threat that people should avoid going to theaters where "The Interview" is playing.
The country's major theater companies had said they had decided to postpone or cancel next week's showing.
"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," Sony said in its first statement on the matter.
"Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. ... We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie. ... We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome."
The comedy was scheduled to come out on Christmas Day.
According to sources with direct knowledge with the situation and statements by some of the companies, among the top chains that had decided to drop the movie were AMC Entertainment, Regal (RGC), Cinemark (CNK) and Carmike Cinemas (CKEC).
Several smaller chains, including Bow Tie Cinemas and Southern, had decided to do the same thing.
Bow Tie said in a statement that it was "saddened and angered" by the threats against the film. "It is our mission to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests and employees," it said.
Another chain, Cineplex, which is based in Canada, also said it would postpone its showing.
"Cineplex takes seriously its commitment to the freedom of artistic expression, but we want to reassure our guests and staff that their safety and security is our number one priority," the company said. "We look forward to a time when this situation is resolved and those responsible are apprehended."
And Regal said it would "delay the opening" in its theaters, citing "the wavering support of the film "The Interview" by Sony Pictures, as well as the ambiguous nature of any real or perceived security threats."
"The Interview" became controversial because its plot involves the attempted assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
CNN has learned that State Department officials had a discussion with Sony executives but they did not weigh in on the production.
Sony Pictures has been devastated by the cyberattack that appears motivated by anger over the film.
The film's Los Angeles premiere went off without a hitch last week, but the New York premiere planned for Thursday was called off after the new threat on Tuesday.
The threat, which invoked the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, received widespread press attention.
Concerns about upholding freedom of artistic expression were countered by fears that families would heed the hackers' warning and bypass the box office for the remainder of the holiday season.
"The possibility that people will avoid theaters altogether is the problem," the person said. In other words, it's not just "The Interview" that could be hurt, it's other Christmas releases like Disney' (DIS)"Into The Woods" and Universal's "Unbroken."
Furthermore, according to The Hollywood Reporter, theaters were "wary of becoming liable if they show the movie and any violence occurs."
To many observers, however, that sounded like a far-fetched scenario.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said on CNN's "New Day" that "this is essentially a heckler's veto" of the film.
The FBI has been investigating the hack, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that "there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters within the United States."
All the attention had caused some people to pledge to see the film.
"I am not going to let a terrorist threat shut down freedom of speech. I am going to The Interview," screenwriter and director Judd Apatow wrote on Twitter Tuesday night.
Video:
http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/17/media/the-interview-sony-theater-owners/index.html
December 17, 2014
The U.S. is getting ready to blame North Korea for the mega hack on Sony Pictures, as the studio said Wednesday it would cancel next week's planned release of its controversial comedy "The Interview." U.S. investigators say an announcement pinning the blame on hackers working for the Pyongyang regime could come as soon as Thursday.
Because of the North Korean regime's tight control of the Internet in the reclusive country, U.S. officials believe the hack was ordered directly by the country's leadership.
North Korea experts say the country has spent scarce resources on building up a unit called "Bureau 121" to carry out cyber attacks.
Earlier Wednesday, Sony pulled the film, which depicts the assassination of North Korea's leader, following a threat that people should avoid going to theaters where "The Interview" is playing.
The country's major theater companies had said they had decided to postpone or cancel next week's showing.
"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," Sony said in its first statement on the matter.
"Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. ... We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie. ... We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome."
The comedy was scheduled to come out on Christmas Day.
According to sources with direct knowledge with the situation and statements by some of the companies, among the top chains that had decided to drop the movie were AMC Entertainment, Regal (RGC), Cinemark (CNK) and Carmike Cinemas (CKEC).
Several smaller chains, including Bow Tie Cinemas and Southern, had decided to do the same thing.
Bow Tie said in a statement that it was "saddened and angered" by the threats against the film. "It is our mission to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests and employees," it said.
Another chain, Cineplex, which is based in Canada, also said it would postpone its showing.
"Cineplex takes seriously its commitment to the freedom of artistic expression, but we want to reassure our guests and staff that their safety and security is our number one priority," the company said. "We look forward to a time when this situation is resolved and those responsible are apprehended."
And Regal said it would "delay the opening" in its theaters, citing "the wavering support of the film "The Interview" by Sony Pictures, as well as the ambiguous nature of any real or perceived security threats."
"The Interview" became controversial because its plot involves the attempted assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
CNN has learned that State Department officials had a discussion with Sony executives but they did not weigh in on the production.
Sony Pictures has been devastated by the cyberattack that appears motivated by anger over the film.
The film's Los Angeles premiere went off without a hitch last week, but the New York premiere planned for Thursday was called off after the new threat on Tuesday.
The threat, which invoked the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, received widespread press attention.
Concerns about upholding freedom of artistic expression were countered by fears that families would heed the hackers' warning and bypass the box office for the remainder of the holiday season.
"The possibility that people will avoid theaters altogether is the problem," the person said. In other words, it's not just "The Interview" that could be hurt, it's other Christmas releases like Disney' (DIS)"Into The Woods" and Universal's "Unbroken."
Furthermore, according to The Hollywood Reporter, theaters were "wary of becoming liable if they show the movie and any violence occurs."
To many observers, however, that sounded like a far-fetched scenario.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said on CNN's "New Day" that "this is essentially a heckler's veto" of the film.
The FBI has been investigating the hack, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that "there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters within the United States."
All the attention had caused some people to pledge to see the film.
"I am not going to let a terrorist threat shut down freedom of speech. I am going to The Interview," screenwriter and director Judd Apatow wrote on Twitter Tuesday night.
Video:
http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/17/media/the-interview-sony-theater-owners/index.html