Sony cancels release of ‘The Interview’
LOS ANGELES — Sony pulled the Christmas Day release of “The Interivew” on Wednesday after hackers levied threats to attack theaters showing the comedy, causing a slew of theater exhibitors to say they wouldn’t screen the movie.
The decision has already sparked a large variety of opinions, with many angry at the studio and exhibitors for pulling out of the film starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as a duo on a mission to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Industry figures including Judd Apatow, Rob Lowe, Jimmy Kimmel and more have taken to social media to weigh in, with several slamming Sony for the decision.
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LOS ANGELES — As major theater chains scrap plans to screen “The Interview,” Sony Pictures Entertainment is said to be hastily pulling the remaining TV spots it had booked to promote the pic’s Dec. 25 release.
Sony was prepared to spend an estimated $18.5 million in total on TV blurbs to market the James Franco-Seth Rogen comedy about two hapless celeb gossips who are sent by the CIA on a covert mission to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Sony has been running spots for “Interview” since June and as of last week had a rotation of 823 blurbs (14 different cuts in all) running across 30 channels, led by Comedy Central and TruTV, according to data tracking by iSpot.TV, which projected “Interview” as leading the list of movie advertising on TV last week.
The comedy has sparked outrage in North Korea and is believed to be the release that Sony Pictures was the target of a massive hack of its computer systems last month. The studio has faced the equivalent of cyber-waterboarding during the past few weeks as bits and pieces of highly sensitive corporate data and personal emails have been disseminated to media by a group calling itself Guardians of Peace.
The org on Tuesday issued its most menacing threat yet, vowing to launch “9/11”-style attacks on theaters showing the film. The threat of violence against moviegoers — a situation that became all too real in 2012 with the deadly shooting rampage during screening in Aurora, Colo., of “The Dark Knight Rises” — was enough to persuade exhib honchos to drop the movie. “Interview” was scheduled to open during one of the winter’s busiest moviegoing weekends which has spurred anger on the part of other studios that the “Interview” battle could dampen moviegoing overall during the Christmas holiday period.
Sony’s decision to pull as many TV and radio spots as possible, first reported by Deadline, is no surprise. With Regal, AMC, Cinemark and other large chains backing away from the movie, it makes no sense to spend money on TV spots for a film that will be hard if not impossible to find at the multiplexes.
Reps for Sony had no immediate comment. Execs at several networks that had booked “Interview” blurbs declined comment. There’s no word yet if Sony Pictures will seek to hold on to any of the buys by swapping in spots for another movie or other project.
Reports say North Korea ordered the Sony attack
By TED JOHNSON/REUTERS
Federal authorities have determined that hackers working on behalf of the North Korean government were behind the attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, according to CNBC and CNN.
"We have found linkage to the North Korean government," a source told CNBC.
CNN’s Evan Perez said that an announcement is expected on Thursday that would "assign attribution" to the country, which threatened retaliation over the release of "The Interview."
A spokeswoman for the FBI did not immediately return calls for comment. The bureau has been investigating the hacker attack.
The New York Times reported that U.S. officials had differences of opinion on whether the hackers were aided by Sony insiders.
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