UPDATE: Variety reports that Bow Tie Cinemas will also not show The Interview at their theaters. The Hollywood Reporter additionally reports that Regal, AMC, Cinemark, and Cineplex theaters will also not show the feature.
Yesterday we reported that Seth Rogen and James Franco, the stars (and, in Rogen’s case, the co-writer and co-director) of Sony’s embattled comedy The Interview, had pulled out off nearly all media appearances in support of the film in the wake of newly released terrorist threats. Now it seems that the pair won’t have to worry about attending one more event—it’s already been cancelled for them.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the planned New York City premiere of the film—originally scheduled to take place Thursday night at the Sunshine Cinemas on the Lower East Side—has been cancelled. According to the outlet, the theater’s owner, Landmark Theatres, “did not offer any further explanation for the cancellation, [though] it came on the heels of new threats from Guardians of Peace, the hacking group purportedly behind this month's massive Sony cyber attack.”
That’s not the only bad news for Sony, however.
Deadline reports that the movie studio, still reeling from a November hacking by the so-called “Guardians of Peace,” who continue to reveal sensitive and confidential information in addition to their recent terrorist threats, has given theater owners the option to not show the film at all.
A Deadline source told the outlet, “We’re leaving it up to the discretion of the theater owners and chains and we will support their decision.” At least one theater chain has already refused to show the film: Carmike Cinemas, which owns and operates 278 theaters in the U.S., making it one of the largest exhibitors in the nation.
Additionally, Deadline reported last night that Hollywood’s own Arclight Cinemas had pulled the film, though a late-breaking update refuted the statement. Still, Arclight executives revealed to the outlet that “an official company statement is expected Wednesday,” which does not sound promising.
As of now, The Interview is still set to hit theaters on Christmas Day.