‘The Interview’ cast cancels press appearances and movie theaters ban the release of the upcoming feature film following terrorist threats.
Update: The three biggest U.S. theater chains have reportedly decided not to screen “The Interview”.
Regal, AMC, and Cinemark joined other chains in deciding not to show the new Seth Rogen/James Franco movie, according to reports. Theaters began dropping the film in response to threats mentioning the terrorist attacks on September 11th.
Things are not getting better for Sony Pictures, and The Interview. Seth Rogen and James Franco have canceled all of their press appearances for The Interview.
Read more: Sony Hackers Threaten Violence on Movie Theaters that Show ‘The Interview’
According to Variety, the comedians have canceled all their upcoming press appearances, including a Thursday night visit with Seth Meyers.
The duo has withdrawn from previously scheduled press appearances, including Rogen’s Thursday appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers and a chat with Buzzfeed Brews, leading up to The Interview’s Christmas Day release.
According to insiders, Rogen and Franco are still scheduled to appear at Thursday’s New York special screening of The Interview. The two were at the Los Angeles premiere last week, but didn’t do press interviews. (Via)
Read more: Sony Execs Think ‘The Interview’ is ‘Desperately Unfunny’
This news comes after hacker group, Guardians of Peace promised a 9/11 style attack on any theaters that screen the movie. However, Homeland Security says there’s “no credible intelligence” regarding movie theater attacks.
“DHS is aware of a threat made online targeting movie theaters in the United States. We are still analyzing the credibility of these statements, but at this time there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters within the United States.” (Via Deadline)
Read more: Sony Lawyers Threaten News Outlets Over “Stolen Information”
But, this does not stop movie theaters from banning The Interview. Carmike Cinemas has announced that they will not show the Sony comedy The Interview, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The decision followed new threats from hackers issued Tuesday. During discussions with theater owners during the course of the day, Sony Pictures told exhibitors who had booked The Interview that it planned to move forward with the movie’s release, but that they were free to decide not to show the film, and that the studio would support them in whatever decision they made.
Carmike’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ga. It operates 278 theaters and 2,917 screens in 41 states.
According to reports, movie theaters are asking for Sony to provide heavy security if they do decide to play the movie. At the same time, movie theater owners are arguing that Sony is forcing them to decide whether or not to show the movie.
Read more: Hackers Threaten Sony Pictures’ Employees & Families
The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, has been scheduled to open on Christmas Day, when it will go against Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken and Disney’s Into The Woods.
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