Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Dec 16, 2014 20:19:20 GMT -6
deadline.com/2014/12/sony-theater-owners-pull-the-interview-terror-threats-1201327612/
Sony Says Theaters Can Cancel ‘The Interview’ Over Hacker Threat Concerns
Sony isn’t yet cancelling the Christmas release of The Interview, but the embattled studio has given its blessing to concerned theater owners who choose to drop the controversial comedy.
“We’re leaving it up to the discretion of the theater owners and chains and we will support their decision,” a well-placed source at Sony confirmed to Deadline.
Hackers threatened moviegoers who see the Seth Rogen-James Franco film in a message Tuesday morning, prompting Sony and exhibitors to scramble into emergency discussions on how to handle the new risk to the public. The threat, issued along with a new data dump containing emails stolen from Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton, specifically referenced The Interview for the first time since Sony’s crisis began on November 24.
Tuesday’s message threatened theaters showing The Interview and invoked 9/11, escalating safety concerns and potential legal liability to theater owners who run the film as planned:
“We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places ‘The Interview’ be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to. Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. 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.) Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment. All the world will denounce the SONY.”
So far the National Association of Theatre Owners has not publicly revealed what its members are doing to address Tuesday’s threat. “As with news coming out of the Sony hack earlier today, NATO had no comment on this latest development,” said NATO spokesman Patrick Corcoran.
Sony had no comment.
Sony Says Theaters Can Cancel ‘The Interview’ Over Hacker Threat Concerns
Sony isn’t yet cancelling the Christmas release of The Interview, but the embattled studio has given its blessing to concerned theater owners who choose to drop the controversial comedy.
“We’re leaving it up to the discretion of the theater owners and chains and we will support their decision,” a well-placed source at Sony confirmed to Deadline.
Hackers threatened moviegoers who see the Seth Rogen-James Franco film in a message Tuesday morning, prompting Sony and exhibitors to scramble into emergency discussions on how to handle the new risk to the public. The threat, issued along with a new data dump containing emails stolen from Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton, specifically referenced The Interview for the first time since Sony’s crisis began on November 24.
Tuesday’s message threatened theaters showing The Interview and invoked 9/11, escalating safety concerns and potential legal liability to theater owners who run the film as planned:
“We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places ‘The Interview’ be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to. Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. 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.) Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment. All the world will denounce the SONY.”
So far the National Association of Theatre Owners has not publicly revealed what its members are doing to address Tuesday’s threat. “As with news coming out of the Sony hack earlier today, NATO had no comment on this latest development,” said NATO spokesman Patrick Corcoran.
Sony had no comment.