Armada Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 They've finally listened to the demands of the hackers. I'm calling their bluff, nothing would have happened if they let it release. Also its gotta be the North Koreans who did this With theater chains defecting en masse, Sony Pictures Entertainment has pulled the planned Christmas Day release of “The Interview.” In announcing the decision to cancel the holiday debut, Sony hit back at the hackers who threatened movie theaters and moviegoers and who have terrorized the studio and its employees for weeks. “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,” the statement reads. “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,” it continues. “We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.” The studio did not say it would never release the picture theatrically. Insiders tell Variety Sony is exploring all options, including offering the picture on premium video-on-demand as a way to recoup at least some of its investment. The comedy centers on a hapless television host who is recruited to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. The country has condemned the film and some cyber security experts believe that it played a role in the hack attack on the studio. North Korea has denied involvement in the attacks. Seth Rogen and James Franco star in the picture, which cost $42 million to produce. Sony has been reeling for weeks since hackers broke into the studio’s computer system in November and stole internal documents, email messages, film budgets, spreadsheets detailing top executive salaries and the social security numbers of thousands of employees. The documents and records were subsequently leaked online, setting off a firestorm of media coverage. Tuesday’s message accompanied another data dump. It threatened violence on theaters that showed “The Interview” and people who attend screenings. “The world will be full of fear,” the message reads. “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.)” In response, exhibition industry lobbying arm the National Association of Theatre Owners said its members must decide individually whether or not to release the picture and Sony said it would respect theater owners’ decision not to exhibit “The Interview.” That set off a cascade of cancellations. The bulk of the country’s ten largest theater chains — a group that includes AMC, Regal, Cinemark, Carmike and Southern Theatres — announced they would delay showing the picture or would drop it altogether. In statements, many of the theater chains suggested that Sony’s lack of confidence in the film prompted their decision. Regal, for instance, said its decision was “due to the wavering support of the film ‘The Interview’ by Sony Pictures, as well as the ambiguous nature of any real or perceived security threats.” Sony was more conciliatory even as it said exhibitor defections motivated its decision. “We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers,” the studio’s statement read. Bruce Nash, founder of the box office site TheNumbers, said that Christmas is one of the busiest times of year for moviegoing and is particularly strong for family films. Any perceived danger or threat might have depressed ticket sales. “It was never going to be one of the big films of Christmas and clearly chains are going to be concerned about making sure people feel comfortable bringing their children to ‘Annie,’ ‘Into the Woods’ or ‘Night at the Museum,” said Nash. https://variety.com/2014/film/news/sony-cancels-theatrical-release-for-the-interview-on-christmas-1201382032/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samk Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Absolutely pathetic move by Sony. I'm sure they didn't want any more leaks, they don't care about the attack threats. Homeland Security even said there was nothing to fear concerning the threats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordCanuck Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Doesn't help when most threatres have cancelled showing the movie. Almost all in the lower mainland wouldn't be showing it as Cineplex cancelled all showings. This is sad, guess the terrorists win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbyte Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Yeah it works. It's terrifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalky Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 It's self preservation at this point. Sony knows what else these people have, and they are bent over a barrel. It's too bad really, I'm looking forward to seeing the movie, but for sure going to steal it online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kran Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 What a poor sport this Kim Jong Un is. I don't remember his dad throwing a fit when Team America came out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Weak. But terrorism does work.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ambien Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 This really has nothing to do with actual terrorist actions, it's simply political blackmail. Sony is not the law, and these people have only released a tiny fraction of damaging information. This is where the US government should be working with them, as this is highly illegal. Of course, as others said, it sure sends the wrong message that threats and illegal acts like this pays off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Oops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rounoush Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Oh Sony... ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grapefruits Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 What a pathetic day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dedalus Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Yeah, I'm not sure the terrorists won. That's what American Republicans are saying all over the Internet. There is no conclusive evidence NK hackers caused this, so I'm waiting for a bit more proof to come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckNORRIS4Cup Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 About 5-6 months ago Kim Jong Un did say, if the movie was released he would go to war, sounds like these threats are still going on. 25 June 2014 North Korea threatens 'merciless' response over Seth Rogen film Country wants film about attempt to assassinate Kim Jong-un banned and says failure to stop its release will be 'act of war' North Korea has threatened a "resolute and merciless" response against the US unless it bans a film about an attempt to assassinate the country's leader, Kim Jong-un. In its first official comment on The Interview, a comedy directed by Evan Goldberg, North Korea warned the US government that failure to stop the film being released would be considered an "act of war". The comments, attributed by North Korea's official news agency KCNA to an unidentified foreign ministry spokesman, did not mention the film by name, but it was clear that the criticism was directed towards The Interview, which will be released in the US on 14 October.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/25/north-korea-merciless-response-us-kim-jong-un-film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking mama Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Was this ever about serious politics?! I thought this was supposed to be about something called...entertainment? That being said - I do think it was in strange & rather poor taste for a big-budget movie to be made about the planned assasination of a 'living' yet very paranoid & closeted political leader with access to 'nukes'. Was there NO consideration paid to the fact, that we live in perilous times....when despots have been ritualistically 'taken-out' by US-backed operatives or interests,...and that such a production would be perceived to be 'threatening' propaganda.....even - if the film in question, is just some tongue-in-cheek comedy or farce? Sony will manage to re-coop their losses, some how.... starting with media interviews, documentaries, or a blitz of noise concerning the hack-job that they've had to endure. And - they'll eventually find somebody to sue. The last time a movie release was disrupted.. it was the 'Dark Knight' & a much anticipated performance by Heath Ledger as the 'Joker'. It's merely an entertainment choice for you and I...but I'm sure the CIA is all over this. When terrorists threaten our institutions, commerce, legislatures, parliaments buildings, the sanctity of our momuments, city halls & other places of social gathering, it's a serious offense to our social freedoms, security & right to assemble. Yet, when corporations cross the line-of-propriety in attacking various political or religious leaders, deities & institutions from other places,... where there's far less tolerance & social freedom to do such things,...in a global world that connects us all thru the internet & flight paths,...wouldn't it have been somewhat more prudent to consider or expect that there would be consequences to that? Threats are being realized... & others tho' possibly more bogus, could happen,..so there must be a lesson or 2 to for Sony to learn here. @Sony - it can't always be business as usual. #directtovideo/dvdifyoudare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dedalus Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Um...the connection is pretty nebulous: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/world/asia/us-links-north-korea-to-sony-hacking.html?_r=0 The attacks at Sony were routed from command and control centers across the world, including a convention center in Singapore and a computer at Thammasat University in Thailand. But one of those command and control servers, a computer in Bolivia, had been used before, in a limited set of cyberattacks on South Korean targets two years ago. If you do some research, you'll find that these botnets overlap so you'll find a bunch of clients that have been hacked a bunch of times. Check out how they're approaching all of this. FIRST: Say who is to blame; SECOND: look for clues to tie them to it. It should be the other way around. Look for where and how it happened and then trace it back to whoever did it. Anyway, people should read this article: http://www.wired.com/2014/12/north-korea-did-not-hack-sony-probs/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 So, did Sony in Japan authorize the cancellation of the movie or just Sony Pictures in Hollywood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the grinder Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 dear sony please listen to russel peters advice " you don't make fun of Korean people " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada Hockey Place Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 So hackers knowledgeable enough about the internet to hack Sony, leak information and not get caught in an attempt to stop people seeing the film. Aren't knowledgeable enough about the internet to know this is generating more attention than Sony could have hoped for and more people will end up watching it? That seems less believable than the plot of the movie. The real surprise to me is that they didn't cast Jonah Hill as Kim Jong-Un. He looks more him than the actor they cast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 The good news here is that Seth Rogen and James Franco will appear in one less release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 The good news here is that Seth Rogen and James Franco will appear in one less release. That Jonah Hill guy needs to be stop as well.. I don't mind James Franco the guy is actually real smart. I believe he has more than a couple Uni degrees from top schools. Seth Rogen is meh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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