Theaters are refusing to show this movie due to terroristic threats.
Personally I think Seth Rogan sucks, so I won’t see it regardless. He’s almost as bad as Jonah Hill.
Well, the terrorist won. Seriously, they threatened us with violence and we caved.
This really pisses me off. Didn’t plan on seeing it, but I’ll buy it on demand just to donate.
North Korea is full of it, really. These threats shouldn’t be taken seriously. Now if this was Saudi or Iran being mocked in the film, then maybe there is a legitimate concern. But North Korea? They threaten to take out the west nearly every day.
The whole incident is worrying. Bizarre that they caved.
North Korea are just totally insane, they look much much worse from the episode than they would have done if the film had just been released and forgotten about. Maybe they’re still hurting from South Park.
i hope it’s a marketing ploy…
Jonah hill. The most untalented Jew to ever get into Hollywood. Seth rogen at least produces films.
it’s pretty stupid. let the movie play. if a NK agent commits a terrorist act in a movie theater, let’s go to war with NK. it’s going to happen one day anyway. might as well be for something like this.
^ Easy to say as someone who doesn’t have a stake in a movie theater business.
Nuclear war sounds like a blast…
it’s inevitable. strike first. strike hard.
the loss from one theater blowing up, or 5 for that matter, is less than lost profits from not playing the movie. my bet is the theater companies are waiting for the U.S. govt to take a hard line against North Korea on the issue before playing the movie so that the threat of attack is lower. the movie will be played.
^ What about the loss of human life? I’m guessing there’s more to it than just money (but I do agree that this threat from NK is pretty stupid).
I don’t think Sony had anything to do with this. It was the movie theatres that didn’t want to show it so Sony was backed into a corner.
Anyways, the movie will probably be leaked in less than a month. I loved This is the End and Pineapple Express so I will be seeing it.
^ Response to Matt: WTF? I think this threat is bogus, but I doubt Cineplex or whatever they have down south really says, hell, I can make $1,000,000 showing this, but I could face liability for hundreds or thousands of deaths and a ruined theatre. Whether Sony wants it shown is irrelevant, they aren’t the ones baring the risk. Remember, most insurance excludes acts of war between states, and I would certainly take that line if I was the insurer and this happened. If I deemed the threat credible, if I was the theater risk manager, I’d punt this film fast. But all in all, I think the threat is a joke. North Korea knows they would be a barren wasteland within an hour if a state agent attacked a US theater. Now, I’d say the threat is greater to other western states showing the film. NK attacking Canada or Norway or something would generate backlash, but I’m not sure America would have the appetite to go Rambo on Mr. Kim for an attack in elsewhere. Maybe NATO applies, maybe it doesn’t. But if NK attacked an American theater? It’d be a war in Korea immediately.
you’d be on the hook for the theater but i doubt you’d be on the hook for the loss of life. did the owner of the world trade center pay any liability claims to those who died?
the U.S. theater industry is set to bring in about $50M-$70M in revenue off this movie and the lack of this revenue will have a pretty big impact on profits, say $30M if i had to guess. it seems as though the slight chance of losing one movie theater (if InTrade was taking odds, what would they be? 5%? less?) is worth the $30M in profits, as an industry. remember, it is not the DPRK who are uttering threats, it is computer nerds.
EDIT: it doesn’t really matter. it’s just very very sad that anyone associated with the DPRK gets any media attention.
For Sony,
upside of releasing the movie = ~ $10M profit, nobody calling them cowards
Downside = one nutjob doig a terrorist act in North Korea’s name and Sony facing multiple civil lawsuits from vulture lawyers. Calls of a Japanese corp being insensitive to American lives. More hacking. They are already being sued by past and present employees for the data breaches. Not worth the profit.
It’s a simple cost/benefit analysis more than cowardice. Sony caved, US did not.
They already are.
BTW did we nuke Afghanistan after 9/11? Or Lebanon after marine barracks bombing?
Words are cheap. Decision to use US nukes is not.
It’s not a nuke thing. The US will invade North Korea with an aircraft carrier and ground troops. There is already another Korean government that is just waiting to take over the north. Japan and other nearby countries would be thrilled to be rid of this weird neighbor. Obama’s approval rating would go to 80%, like Bush’s did during the Iraq 2001 war (Americans are tired of wars, but realistically, they will make an exception for North Korea). Seems like a win-win scenario.
The North Korean government is probably not stupid. They know how to hold onto power. Bombing other countries is not really a viable option for them.
^ Neither was a state attacking America. That’s only happened a couple times, fighting Canada/Britain and Japan. Not saying the US uses nukes, but there would be a strong military response.
i think sony’s profit would be closer to $50M after all is said and done, considering This Is The End made like $30M by my estimation based on the box office and costs to produce. no terrorist attack will occur. the actual odds are probably 100 to 1, so unless the potental damage caused by the attack is $5B, then it makes economic sense to show the movie.
a U.S.-led attack of NK would involve an initial blanket of ICBMs or sub-launched missiles on suspected nuclear weapon sites and the area to the north of the 38th parallel followed by a massive incursion by U.S., SK and coalition troops. it would not be a war. b/c of NK’s possession of nukes, the initial hit would be so hard that they would have little capability of fighting a war.
Personally I think it was bad judgement by the movie execs to even make this movie in the first place. To make a movie about assassinating the standing leader of North Korea (especially considering how unpredictable North Korea can be) seems like really poor judgement. Much more downside than upside.
Got China?