Via The Hollywood Reporter we have learned that Carmike Cinemas will not be showing any screenings of The Interview. The movie theater chain operates 278 theaters across 41 states which totals up to 2,917 screens.
Sony has told theaters that have already locked in dates for the film that they were free to not show the film. The hacker group behind the Sony hack made the following statement about those theaters that show The Interview:
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. 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.)
The Interview stars Seth Rogen and James Franco and tells the story of the duo attempting to assassinate the North Korean leader. The group have also stated that more unreleased films and private information will be made available when the movie premiers.
UPDATE #1: Variety is reporting that major movie chains chains Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, Cineplex and AMC Theatres have all pulled out of showing The Interview due to fear from the threats made online. This means North American audiences will have a very difficult time finding a showing of the film.
UPDATE #2: Sony has officially stated that it will not be releasing The Interview to theaters. In a statement Sony had the following to say:
Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like.
We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.