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[greatestjediever]

So now the movie's not going to come out at all.

Wow.

I have mixed feels about this entire situation. I'm going both ways on understanding why it was cancelled and "don't fucking cave", and I can't really settle on either side.

Do we have any way at all of finding out who these hackers are?

I'm sure the government probably knows who did it, which they won't publically share (aside from very high level associations with foreign states). That's really secondary though to what they can/will realistically do about it.

 

[Mrmartel]

or worse, we won't even see potential masterpieces being made because anything that even remotely enters this kind of territory will get cancelled before it even gets made (see: that Steve Carell film that just got cancelled because of this news).

Hence my post in another thread of a First Crusade Movie. With the right director and screenplay, it could be one of the greatest period films ever made. Not going to happen in PC Hollywood.

 

[ivysaur12]

That's not saying they won't ever release it, they're saying they have no current plans for VoD release. Which is not surprising, seeing as 24 hours ago, it was still being released as a normal movie.

I think this gets released VoD or Streaming before Christmas, though.

It's very clear what that means. They're just not going to release it.

 

[Cbajd5]

Maybe the hackers will leak the movie.

After editing by North Korea where they foil the assassination attempt with ease and destroy America as well.

i actually kinda want to see this now

 

[thepotatoman]

You guys are way overstating the damage the media has done.

Maybe the media should respect the privacy of individuals more, but the gossip is not going to kill sony, and it certainly has absolutely nothing to do with the cancellation of the theatrical release of The Interview.

The threat invoking 9/11 alongside the proof that they're at least somewhat serious by performing the largest known cyber attack in history probably has way more to do with the cancellation than some gossip about a random email of some director.

 

[MIMIC]

Sony will be blamed the next time this happens, because they were so easily cowed. This has bigger ramifications beyond just one corporation getting dicked over in a hack.

The next time what happens?

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

Which is what they did.

Did you see Amy Pascal's Social Security number in the New York Times? Because I certainly didn't.

But is that enough? Should they take into account the source of the information considering this came from a North Korean sponsored group? Did they help legitimize the actions by using such material? There's a lot of gray area issues here.

 

[BertramCooper]

You already know the vast difference between "doing your job as a reporter" and "reveling in the leaks and milking this for all it's worth". A whole bunch of major online sources did everything they could to profit off this as much as they could. Not only were they tripping over themselves to verify all these juicy scoops, they released shit piecemeal on separate articles for even more clicks.

Get the fuck out of here with this "journalists had a duty" shit. They knew exactly what they were doing. They enjoyed all this traffic increase, the email dramas, the pandering to fans (SPIDER-MAN GOES TO MARVEL WOOO!!), the dissing of actors, writers, directors, etc., etc., etc. They were loving it.

This was all information that was made public to anyone with an internet connection who wanted it.

Who do you want to be the ones writing this story for the masses? The New York Times and the Washington Post or Reddit and 4chan?

 

[empanada]

Sony being based in Japan is almost certainly playing a major role in their reaction to this.

The theater companies voluntarily pulling out is the main reason Sony is doing this.

 

[SegaShack]

I would also like to blame the press for their part in empowering the criminals and working as their lackeys. Filtering the criminals' stolen wares to extract the most valuable/marketable items to disseminate and profit off.

Sony is a victim of a hack/terrorist threat, and the media is there to aid the criminals.

Definitely, the media will play any role they see fit. They have no issue using stolen information to create articles to insult Sony employees, then later on take the role of being on Sony's side for the picture being released. It's screwed up.

 

[Nokterian]

No VoD's or dvd's? Not smart sony..

Time to buy or watch Team America then guys!

I'm so roneryyy

 

[HariKari]

The theater companies voluntarily pulling out is the main reason Sony is doing this.

They should get out in front of it and announce a digital download release or something of the sort.

The next time what happens?

Not falling for it.

 

[Sanjuro]

The next time what happens?

When the Obama biopic is released.

 

[Celestia]

Pretty pathetic. Oh well.

 

[DrForester]

The theater companies voluntarily pulling out is the main reason Sony is doing this.

Not all theaters were pulling out. Sony backed down and they can not weasel out of that by trying to say "oh, well some theaters were not going to show it".

 

[WooHooAlex]

It's very clear what that means. They're just not going to release it.

I think they will eventually.

 

[antisoulless]

It's the responsible decision, however it makes me want to see this even more now.

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

This was all information that was made public to anyone with an internet connection who wanted it.

Who do you want to be the ones writing this story for the masses? The New York Times and the Washington Post or Reddit and 4chan?

Let's not deny they also fabricated stories without verifying them at all. The major one being Sony had stopped all filming and could not process payments.

 

[ivysaur12]

I think they will eventually.

I can't see it.

 

[DarkFlow]

Woo boy look at all of the interweb hard asses in this thread.
Coward this and coward that.
If one person got hurt in a theater those same keyboard finger flexers would be ranting how terrible Sony was and irresponsible was for releasing it when they knew that there was a risk.
Acting like it is an easy choice to throw money away on this movie or all of the easy free press it was getting.

Lol, is this serious?

 

[Mrmartel]

or worse, we won't even see potential masterpieces being made because anything that even remotely enters this kind of territory will get cancelled before it even gets made (see: that Steve Carell film that just got cancelled because of this news).

Exactly. I do wonder sometimes of the great movies/ideas that have probably come through the doors at Film companies; and how many of them have been turned down outright or scraped during production because of the climate of the current times.

What it comes down to is what little respect I had for Hollywood is gone. I will never take anything serious about any movie that they deem 'shocking or relevant or counter cultural. They are the culture, they are the Ivory Towers.

 

[boredofcanada]

Can't they just put it on Netflix and call it a day? What are they gonna do?

 

[KefkaPalazzo]

no way in hell sony is taking a 100 million write down.

It will be released eventually.

You would hope. I know Sony as a whole is one of the best in the world at losing money, but this would be out doing themselves.

 

[Fox Mulder]

No VoD's or dvd's? Not smart sony..

Time to buy or watch Team America then guys!

I'm so roneryyy

I wanted to watch team america a few weeks ago and noticed it hasn't been released on bluray in america. North Korea strikes again.

 

[Moving4Motion]

Could have just easily used a fictional country/leader instead honestly. I didn't like the premise long before threats were thrown out.

Why?

 

[Sanjuro]

Not all theaters were pulling out. Sony backed down and they can not weasel out of that by trying to say "oh, well some theaters were not going to show it".

Yes they can. The amount of theaters that backed out would have put the film on the level of an arthouse film release.

They still have every reason to make profit on this film.

 

[BertramCooper]

Let's not deny they also fabricated stories without verifying them at all. The major one being Sony had stopped all filming and could not process payments.

And the slobbering internet masses never make shit up or get information wrong, right?

 

[HariKari]

Can't they just put it on Netflix and call it a day? What are they gonna do?

What were they going to do when it was in theaters? Nothing.

 

[kirby_fox]

This won't happen again. The idea of a government posing as a hacker group, stealing 100 TB of data and blackmailing a company publicly to stop a movie is pretty unlikely to ever happen again. This isn't a war threat, this is a terrorist threat.

The same thing would happen if someone made a movie about Allah instead of North Korea. Are we really expecting more radicals to start threatening movie releases?

 

[Loudninja]

Not all theaters were pulling out. Sony backed down and they can not weasel out of that by trying to say "oh, well some theaters were not going to show it".

They had no choice.

1) Regal Cinemas - 574 theaters

2) AMC - 473 theaters

3) Carmike - 383 theaters

4) Cinemark - 375 theaters

5) Cineplex - 163 theaters


That's 1,968 theaters that won't be showing The Interview. Those theaters comprise the good majority of the domestic market.

Without the domestic market, The Interview can't make a profit.

So, it's prudent for Sony to cancel the release and lie low for a while. The film can wait.

.

 

[MIMIC]

Not falling for it.

I'm just going to assume you're talking about pulling a movie from movie theaters after threats from terrorists (and you can correct me if I'm wrong).

It's not going to happen again anytime soon. Unprecedented events are unprecedented for a reason.

 

[jtb]

This won't happen again. The idea of a government posing as a hacker group, stealing 100 TB of data and blackmailing a company publicly to stop a movie is pretty unlikely to ever happen again. This isn't a war threat, this is a terrorist threat.

The same thing would happen if someone made a movie about Allah instead of North Korea. Are we really expecting more radicals to start threatening movie releases?

Maybe not by these means (though I'm not so sure), but threats of violence over free expression (often artistic)? Of course it'll happen again. The Danish cartoonist? The Satanic Verses fatwa? etc.

Luckily for everyone, a wonderful precedent has just been set so I'm sure no one will ever have an incentive to try this again.

 

[GoldenEye 007]

This won't happen again. The idea of a government posing as a hacker group, stealing 100 TB of data and blackmailing a company publicly to stop a movie is pretty unlikely to ever happen again. This isn't a war threat, this is a terrorist threat.

The same thing would happen if someone made a movie about Allah instead of North Korea. Are we really expecting more radicals to start threatening movie releases?

Terrorists making threats to stifle artistic expression? This has already happened again.

 

[Mrmartel]

This won't happen again. The idea of a government posing as a hacker group, stealing 100 TB of data and blackmailing a company publicly to stop a movie is pretty unlikely to ever happen again. This isn't a war threat, this is a terrorist threat.

The same thing would happen if someone made a movie about Allah instead of North Korea. Are we really expecting more radicals to start threatening movie releases?

We'll see what comes from this current hack, but why not? Seems like everyone is more emboldened to do whatever they want to the West

 

[StoopKid]

This won't happen again. The idea of a government posing as a hacker group, stealing 100 TB of data and blackmailing a company publicly to stop a movie is pretty unlikely to ever happen again. This isn't a war threat, this is a terrorist threat.

The same thing would happen if someone made a movie about Allah instead of North Korea. Are we really expecting more radicals to start threatening movie releases?

Yes

 

[Bebpo]

Can't they just put it on Netflix and call it a day? What are they gonna do?

Apparently digital distributors didn't want it. Imagine if Netflix got hacked and all their customer info and CC#s got stolen, their employee SSNs/e-mails out and the service was shut down for a period of time. I'm guessing that's what Netflix and other digital fronts are afraid of if they host it.

 

[Slurmer]

This whole situation is hilarious. All of this over a Seth Rogen movie.

 

[HariKari]

I'm just going to assume you're talking about pulling a movie from movie theaters after threats from terrorists (and you can correct me if I'm wrong).

It's not going to happen again anytime soon. Unprecedented events are unprecedented for a reason.

It sets the precedent that you can cow corporations a world away with empty threats and some doxing. It will happen more than ever now, in various forms.

 

[WooHooAlex]

Not all theaters were pulling out. Sony backed down and they can not weasel out of that by trying to say "oh, well some theaters were not going to show it".

In less than 24 hours after Carmike pulled the film, 5 or 6 more chains followed. By the time it actually came out, who knows what other theaters would have decided to pull it.

 

[Boke1879]

In less than 24 hours after Carmike pulled the film, 5 or 6 more chains followed. By the time it actually came out, who knows what other theaters would have decided to pull it.

This pretty much. I'm sure this had more to do with it. Sony does still have a reason to make a profit.

 

[MIMIC]

It sets the precedent that you can cow corporations a world away with empty threats and some doxing. It will happen more than ever now, in various forms.

You understand that Sony didn't give in to their original threat, right?

 

[Hex]

In less than 24 hours after Carmike pulled the film, 5 or 6 more chains followed. By the time it actually came out, who knows what other theaters would have decided to pull it.

Not only that, having it released in only two or three theaters would have made it even easier to target the location IF <-------IF there were to be a credible threat.
Easier to post security? Possibly but why risk one person being hurt.
Why is this so hard to grasp for some.

 

[numble]

Let's not deny they also fabricated stories without verifying them at all. The major one being Sony had stopped all filming and could not process payments.

Whoa, do you have a link to the NYT and Washington Post article where they made this up?

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I really hope this leaks. I really wanted to see this.

 

[Mononoke]

I can't really blame Sony though. I mean, if all the major theaters are pulling out, then the entire thing is a flop. It's not worth marketing it any further. It was pretty much set to fail. So why waste any more time or money on it. So why are people calling Sony cowards (unless I'm missing the point, and if I am, I apologize).

I think the theaters are cowards. For an industry that always takes pride in "freedom of speech" and standing against censorship when people don't like art, it's pretty sad how quick they were willing to fold. How all of these people came together to now show it.

So isn't Sony just reacting to what they did?

 

[KHarvey16]

It's still going to be released in theaters later. They aren't going to just throw it in the trash and when they do release it, it'll do great.

And lol at anyone who thinks, either here or at Sony, that not releasing the movie will mean no more leaks. I honestly don't think Sony is doing this to ensure they stop, because that would be a naive waste of money.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

It sets the precedent that you can cow corporations a world away with empty threats and some doxing. It will happen more than ever now, in various forms.

...really?

 

[Korigama]

What a pitiful situation.

 

[CrankyJay]

It's still going to be released in theaters later. They aren't going to just throw it in the trash and when they do release it, it'll do great.

And lol at anyone who thinks, either here or at Sony, that not releasing the movie will mean no more leaks. I honestly don't think Sony is doing this to ensure they stop, because that would be a naive waste of money.

Why bother canceling it now if they will eventually show it later? Just to let things blow over?

 

[Mononoke]

Why bother canceling it now if they will eventually show it later? Just to let things blow over?

They just said they were canceling the 25th release? So it's being pulled for the time being. Where did Sony say they are 100% canceling the film like forever?

Also, at this point they would just lose money if the majority of theaters were going to refuse to show it. Why market and spend anymore money then they already have, for a film that will only be in like small independent theaters. So it makes sense to just pull it for now. There is no profit to be made.