# Theater chains cancelling "The Interview" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522 "2014-12-17T21:04:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/21 "2014-12-17T22:22:52Z")
I suspect the theaters canceled the showing mostly because the 18-25 male demographic for this movie have all already downloaded the film from Torrent sites. The central joke of the trailer was “shove this thing you must hide up your ass”, and 18-25 males are all about that. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/22 "2014-12-17T22:27:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > If North Korea is behind this, why didn’t they make threats when “Team America: World Police” came out? They heavily satirized the North Koreans in that one. I don’t think it’s a credible threat. Whoever was behind the Sony hacking, it wasn’t the North Koreans. And I think they’re trolling Sony by intimidation. Also it was Kim Jong-il who was in charge then, and had been in charge for 10 years. Kim Jong-un is in charge now. There seems to have been more things in the news about Jong-un cultivating even more of the cult of personality stuff, so it’s possible that it makes people more likely to threaten movie studios. And Team America was starring puppets, so it just seems sillier, and I could see it maybe being dismissed easier. But having an actual actor who looks a lot like Kim Jong-un and showing him being killed could bother the North Koreans more. But it’s still very possible that it’s not the North Koreans doing the hacking, that it’s either some other terrorist group, or a corporate enemy of Sony, or just some hackers doing it for the lulz. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Evil_Prince_Zorte)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/23 "2014-12-17T22:37:21Z")
How are hackers going to blow up a movie theater? That is a completely different set of skills, which can’t be done from some remote overseas location. Can North Korea hire a terrorist willing and competent enough to do this without it getting traced back to them, the only suspects? If Kim Jong Un wants to provoke a real assassination attempt via airstrikes, ordering the bombing of a theater showing the Interview is a good way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/24 "2014-12-17T22:55:39Z")
If anything - ANYTHING - happened in any theater showing The Interview, the theater owner would be sued into oblivion. What are the odds that something, anything, might happen by anyone, including a nutcase unrelated to the North Korean government? Better than zero. Very low, but higher than zero. Besides, I bet their real worry isn’t terrorism but a hacker attack. And those odds are fairly high. Which means we won’t see Netflix picking up the slack. Corporate blackmail is the future. We think trolls are bad… ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/25 "2014-12-18T00:03:53Z")
Revenge for Beta format! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/26 "2014-12-18T00:30:38Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > [Sony has canceled the Dec 25th release of The Interview after top theater chains decline to show the movie.](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/theaters-cancel-interview-sony-hack) > > For those who still think this is all a PR stunt, hopefully this is more proof that you’re wrong. Unless they just happened to hire somebody who is REALLY bad at PR. Okay, just a couple of questions here: any chance we could get this same group of hackers to target Warner Bros over the impending release of _Jupiter Ascending_, and would it be wrong to do so?\_\_\_\_\_ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/27 "2014-12-18T00:36:53Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > If anything - ANYTHING - happened in any theater showing The Interview, the theater owner would be sued into oblivion. What are the odds that something, anything, might happen by anyone, including a nutcase unrelated to the North Korean government? Better than zero. Very low, but higher than zero. Exactly this. It’s like a school bomb threat…even if you “know” it’s a hoax by someone trying to get out of a test, you aren’t going to run the risk. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/28 "2014-12-18T00:42:36Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > If anything - ANYTHING - happened in any theater showing The Interview, the theater owner would be sued into oblivion. What are the odds that something, anything, might happen by anyone, including a nutcase unrelated to the North Korean government? Better than zero. Very low, but higher than zero. Based on everything I know, I’d estimate the probability that there is a bomb in any theater showing _The Interview_ to be 100%. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/29 "2014-12-18T00:49:43Z")
[NY Times says it’s North Korea.](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/world/asia/us-links-north-korea-to-sony-hacking.html) If we don’t support Seth Rogen, the terrorists have already won. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/30 "2014-12-18T00:50:55Z")
First you brought that sideshow clown Rodman back into the media circus and now you’ve turned a stupid bromance destined to the scrap head of Walmart discount bins into a cultural touch stone we must talk about for years. Well played, Kim Jong-Un. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/31 "2014-12-18T00:58:32Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Based on everything I know, I’d estimate the probability that there is a bomb in any theater showing _The Interview_ to be 100%. So stealing this line. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/32 "2014-12-18T01:15:46Z")
Put this movie in a theater and I’m going to see it. Until then you won’t see me buying any Sony products. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/33 "2014-12-18T01:28:52Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I suspect the theaters canceled the showing mostly because the 18-25 male demographic for this movie have all already downloaded the film from Torrent sites. The central joke of the trailer was “shove this thing you must hide up your ass”, and 18-25 males are all about that. Uh, has this movie even hit the bootleg scene? I did not think it had. Theater was the only way to go. Now Seth Rogen and the other director should just release it for free. Screw Sony. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/34 "2014-12-18T01:32:42Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > [Sony has canceled the Dec 25th release of The Interview after top theater chains decline to show the movie.](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/theaters-cancel-interview-sony-hack) > > For those who still think this is all a PR stunt, hopefully this is more proof that you’re wrong. Unless they just happened to hire somebody who is REALLY bad at PR. Well that’s just fucking wonderful, now the Supreme Leader get’s to decide what movies American audiences get to watach. :mad: The studio executives that did this are cowards and deserve nothing less then to be shipped to Korea and forced tru the JSA checkpoint at gunpoint. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/35 "2014-12-18T01:49:16Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > So stealing this line. I finally got this line! Thanks for making me think about it some more. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/36 "2014-12-18T01:52:59Z")
They should release it on PPV tomorrow. With all the publicity that it received, they will get $200/$300M easy. And no terrorist threats possible. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/37 "2014-12-18T02:02:23Z")
The damage was already done. I fucking HATE pussies who are bullied into censorship. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/38 "2014-12-18T02:09:58Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Maybe I’m being ignorant, but are there any North Korea loyalists outside of North Korea? Seems like any that might get the chance to step outside the country immediately declare “I’m free!” > Is there such thing as N.Korean sleeper cells? If you make it out, you are still under the threat that three generations of your family will be executed, or at best consigned to a [Prison Camp](http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/17/world/asia/north-korea-bodyguard-yodok/) if your mission fails. Very few people are willing to risk defiance. Unfortunately, I agree that it was too dangerous to risk showing the film. I think the PPV idea above is genius. I’m not sure that the cable distributors would be willing to face the hacker risk though. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/39 "2014-12-18T02:15:13Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Uh, has this movie even hit the bootleg scene? I did not think it had. Theater was the only way to go. I guess I’m wrong. If that’s the case, what are all these people calling it a bomb basing their opinion on? I planned to see it, but the trailer was not great. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522/40 "2014-12-18T02:22:44Z")
I love all the folks willing to puff their chests out on behalf of freedom while castigating Sony. The reality is that the vast majority of their distribution network had already pulled out of showing the film…and given all the legal issues they are already struggling with right now, and the actual possibility that some whack job would take advantage of the situation to play pretend terrorist, why on earth would they release it? To make a point? When we start looking at corporations to demonstrate “freedom from terrorist fear” for us, we have a real problem…we can’t even fucking do it ourselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theater-chains-cancelling-the-interview/707522.md?page=3)