'The Interview' Premier In NYC Has Been Canceled
The premier was scheduled for Thursday at Sunshine Cinema in Manhattan. The decision by Landmark Cinemas, which owns the theater, comes after a hacking group calling themselves the Guardians of Peace threatened to carry out terrorist attacks against movie theaters, mentioning the film's premier specifically.
Other theaters have also decided not to show "The Interview" in light of the threats.
The GOP claims to be behind the massive data hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Hackers leaked emails, employee records, and other documents that they stole from Sony.
Amid speculation that North Korea was somehow involved in the hack, the group has zeroed in on "The Interview," a comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as talk-show hosts who are sent to assassinate dictator Kim Jong Un.
Rogen and Franco canceled all stops on their press tour after the GOP's threat was issued.
The group posted a warning on file-sharing sites saying they "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." The message also warned people to "remember the 11th of September, 2001."
Sony Pictures executives are reportedly telling theaters that the company "wouldn't object" if they didn't show "The Interview." Sony hasn't yet decided whether or not they will pull or postpone the movie.
The North Korean government denounced "The Interview" as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war" in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon back in June. The country denies it was involved in the Sony hack.