Cinemas Begin Pulling 'The Interview' Over Sony Hackers' Threats

James Franco and Seth Rogen probably aren't laughing so flippantly about their forthcoming political comedy The Interview any more, with the Sony Pictures-backed film suffering several setbacks in the lead-up to its Christmas Day release, not least of all the cancellation of its planned premiere at New York's Landmark Theatre.

According to reports, Landmark made the decision after Franco and Rogen cancelled their promotional commitments for the film for the rest of the week, and fresh threats arrived from the Guardians Of Peace, the anonymous hacking group responsible for Sony's disastrous leaks in recent weeks, in which they made reference to the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York while explicitly discussing the film's premiere and general screenings.

"The world will be full of fear," the new message read. "Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you'd better leave.) Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment."

The US department of Homeland Security has since stressed that it has no evidence of an "active plot" against American theatres, but Landmark isn't the only cinema to have heeded the message's words, however — Deadline has confirmed that chain company Carmike Cinemas has also pulled the flick, after Sony apparently told theatre owners that, although it would be pushing ahead with the film's release, they were free to decide to drop the film and it would support any cinema that chose to do so.

There was earlier speculation (fuelled by employee statements) that upmarket Californian brand ArcLight Cinemas had also withdrawn from screening The Interview, though a representative later told Deadline that the chain had not yet made a decision on whether it would host the film, and that an official statement could be expected tomorrow (AEST).

The new threats from the Guardians Of Peace come freshly in the wake of the group's previously promised "Christmas gift" information dump overnight, which was revealed to consist of thousands of emails stolen from Sony Pictures co-chairman and chief executive Michael Lynton. Reporters have not yet had the time to comb through the correspondence, but one early find include emails from July that suggest the company was already preparing to fend off media speculation over the prosecution of two US tourists by North Korea (for which the film house apparently felt it would be blamed).

Although North Korea — which has long condemned Franco and Rogen's film — maintains it is not behind the attacks on Sony Pictures, it has offered its blessing for the action, calling the hack "a righteous deed".

The Interview is (at the time of writing, at least) due for release in Australia on 22 Jan, 2015.