SONY-CYBER SECURITY-NORTH KOREA Sony Pictures cancels December 25 release of "The Interview"

Record ID: 451730

  • Title: SONY-CYBER SECURITY-NORTH KOREA Sony Pictures cancels December 25 release of "The Interview"
  • Date: 18th December 2014
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 17, 2014) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) REBECCA SUN, SENIOR REPORTER WITH THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, SAYING: "People have been looking at holiday box office for years in tracking its decline, and this threat does affect the other studios' movies, the other movies that were slated to come out over Christmas. Christmas is traditionally a very peak season for moviegoers, and if people feel unsafe because of the perceived threat to one of the films that are being shown, it could really affect everybody's habits."
  • Embargoed: 2nd January 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4B1WQM9LF2LUQVQJ322D8MXA5
  • Story Text: The film studio behind North Korea comedy "The Interview" has cancelled the film's scheduled theatrical release on December 25 in North America.
    The decision by Sony Pictures comes after several major U.S. theatre chains pulled out of showing the film following threats from hackers.
    "I think that when the threat moved from the virtual world to the physical world, that's when the dominoes started to fall," explained Rebecca Sun, a senior reporter with The Hollywood Reporter.
    Meanwhile U.S. officials have determined that North Korea was indeed behind the cyber attack on Sony Pictures, according to CNN.
    An announcement of their findings is expected from Thursday (December 18).
    Sony has said it is "deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company."
    Sony also said that it stood by the film makers of "The Interview," a comedy about two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
    Hackers who claimed responsibility for seizing control and leaking data from Sony's computers last month, on Tuesday (December 16) warned people to stay away from cinemas showing the "The Interview," and reminded moviegoers of the Sept. 11, 2001 hijacked plane attacks on the United States.
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