North Korea behind cyberattacks that led Sony to cancel The Interview
Threats led studio to cancel The Interview, a film spoofing the country's leader Kim Jong-un, as top North American theatre chains bow out
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 18 December, 2014, 9:58pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 18 December, 2014, 9:58pm
Associated Press in New York
Randall Park (centre) as Kim Jong-un in The Interview. It had been predicted to earn about US$30 million in its opening weekend.Photo: AP
A US official says North Korea perpetrated the unprecedented act of cyberwarfare against Sony Pictures that escalated to threats of terrorist attacks that ultimately drove the studio to cancel all release plans for The Interview, the film at the heart of the incident.
Under the threats of violence at cinemas and with the largest multiplex chains in the US pulling the film from their lineups, Sony on Wednesday took the unprecedented step of cancelling the December 25 release of the Seth Rogen comedy, about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Sony later said all plans to release the film had been cancelled.
The cancellation was a startling blow to the Hollywood studio that has been shaken by hacker leaks and intimidation over the last several weeks by an anonymous group calling itself Guardians of Peace.
A US official said on Wednesday that federal investigators have now connected the Sony hacking to North Korea and may make an announcement in the near future. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorised to openly discuss an ongoing criminal case.
Sony said it was cancelling The Interview release "in light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film". The studio said it respected the exhibitors' concerns.
"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," read the statement. "We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome."
Seemingly putting to rest any hope of a delayed theatrical release or a video-on-demand release Sony Pictures spokeswoman Jean Guerin later added: "Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film." Regal Cinemas, AMC Entertainment and Cinemark Theatres - the three top theatre chains in North America - announced that they were postponing any showings of The Interview
The comedy, about a tabloid TV host (James Franco) and producer (Rogen) tasked by the CIA to assassinate North Korea's Kim Jong-un (played by Randall Park), has inflamed North Korea for parodying its leader.
Regal said in a statement that it was delaying The Interview "due to wavering support of the film ... by Sony Pictures, as well as the ambiguous nature of any real or perceived security threats". AMC noted "the overall confusion and uncertainty" surrounding the film. Sony had offered theatres the option of bowing out, and when so many of them did - other chains to drop it included ArcLight Cinemas, Cineplex Entertainment and Carmike Cinemas - Sony was left with little choice.
On Tuesday, the hacking group threatened violence at "the very times and places" showing The Interview.
The US Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday there was "no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theatres", but noted it was still analysing messages from the group. The warning did prompt law enforcement in New York and Los Angeles to address measures to ramp up security.
US President Barack Obama commented on the hacking on Wednesday in an interview with ABC News. "The cyberattack is very serious," said Obama. "We're investigating and we're taking it seriously. We'll be vigilant. If we see something that we think is serious and credible, then we'll alert the public. But for now, my recommendation would be that people go to the movies."
With a modest budget of about US$40 million, The Interview was predicted to earn about US$30 million in its opening weekend before Tuesday's threats.
