UPDATE: Following word the five major theater chains had decided not to release The Interview, Sony has officially decided not to release the film, issuing the following statement:
“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.”
Our original report follows…
Wow. Yesterday several outlets reported Sony Pictures was going to let theater owners decide whether or not to screen its controversial new comedy The Interview, and this afternoon The Hollywood Reporter and the Chicago Sun-Times are reporting that five major U.S. chains have made the decision not to screen the film in their auditoriums.
According to the reports, Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas, and Cineplex Entertainment have decided against screening The Interview in light of recent threats of terror from the group responsible for hacking Sony’s systems more than three weeks ago.
The “Guardians of Peace” (GOP), warned yesterday it would carry out attacks on theater locations that chose to screen the film. Sony didn’t back down, insisting on releasing the film on Christmas Day as planned, but it told exhibitors they could drop the film from their screens if they wanted. Viewed as the primary reason for the GOP’s cyberattack, The Interview tells the story of two celebrity journalists who land an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un before being recruited by the CIA to assassinate him. North Korea has denied involvement in the attacks but says it is in favor of the GOP’s actions.
Based on 2013 data, these five chains represent over 1,600 or nearly half of all theater locations in North America. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see smaller chains and local theater owners follow suit here, which means The Interview could well be dead before it is ever really seen, at least as far as traditional exhibiting goes. Sony might be better off trying to get this thing out on VOD, but who knows how well it will be able to do that given how compromised its systems and information have become in recent weeks. Still, it could be the studio’s only real chance at getting the film in front of audiences who want to see it.
This afternoon’s development is just the latest in a very bizarre and ever-evolving story. Yesterday Variety reported the film’s stars James Franco and Seth Rogen had cancelled all upcoming media appearances for the film, and tomorrow’s scheduled New York premiere for the movie has been cancelled as well due to the threat of attacks.
Several press screenings for the film scheduled for this week have been cancelled, including one in Austin and another in Washington D.C., and today the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) announced it was in favor of exhibitors delaying exhibition of the film “so that our guests may enjoy a safe holiday movie season experiencing the many other exciting films we have to offer.” It’s hard to know exactly how legitimate the GOP’s threats are, but in dropping The Interview theater owners are clearly erring on the side of caution here. They’d rather have patrons see other films without the looming fear of terror, and as a business owner I can understand that, but the move could also set a dangerous precedent, not just for films but for our country as a whole.
I’m sure this is far from the last we will hear about this story, so stay tuned as more information becomes available.
