Update: According to Deadline, Sony will not release The Interview in theaters on Dec. 25 following the news that major theaters chose to not show the film. On Tuesday, the group of hackers — known as The Guardians of Peace — responsible for the Sony leaks threatened theaters with 9/11-like attacks if they showed upcoming film The Interview. Now, five major theaters have chosen not to show The Interview. Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas, and Cineplex Entertainment will not sell tickets to the movie starring James Franco and Seth Rogen. Regal said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday,
Due to the wavering support of the film The Interview by Sony Pictures, as well as the ambiguous nature of any real or perceived security threats, Regal Entertainment Group has decided to delay the opening of the film in our theatres.
In addition to these five major theaters, several others have also decided against showing the comedy revolving around an assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Those include Connecticut's Bow Tie Cinemas and Illinois' Classic Cinemas.
Per Classic Cinemas,
We believe holiday moviegoing is a time honored tradition that should bring loved ones closer together in a safe environment. We feel there is enough uncertainly surround[ing] The Interview that the distraction would take away from the spirit and joy of the season.
As for Bow Tie Cinemas, it feels "saddened and angered by recent threats of terrorism in connection with the movie," and chose not to show the film due to safety concerns.
Early Wednesday, the National Association of Theatre Owners said that “individual cinema operators may decide to delay exhibition of the movie so that our guests may enjoy a safe holiday movie season experiencing the many other exciting films we have to offer.”
Amid this news, Sony has decided to start yanking TV advertising for The Interview, Deadline reports.
On Thursday, after the hackers released their warning, the Department of Homeland Security released the following statement:
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.
