Behold, my fellow Obamerikastanis, a cascade failure of cowardice:
The country’s top five theater circuits have decided not to play Sony’s "The Interview", a knowledgeable source tells the Hollywood Reporter.
Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas and Cineplex Entertainment have all decided against showing the film.
“Due to the wavering support of the film "The Interview" by Sony Pictures, as well as the ambiguous nature of any real or perceived security threats, Regal Entertainment Group has decided to delay the opening of the film in our theatres,” Regal said in a statement to THR Wednesday.
Carmike Cinemas confirmed its decision to drop the film on Tuesday. Sony had no immediate comment.
Several other chains have also announced that they will not be showing the film at this time. Bow Tie Cinemas, based in Connecticut, confirmed earlier today that “saddened and angered by recent threats of terrorism in connection with the movie,” it had decided not to present the film out of safety concerns. Classic Cinemas, based in Illinois, also has dropped the movie, explaining in a statement, “We believe holiday moviegoing is a time-honored tradition that should bring loved ones closer together in a safe environment. We feel there is enough uncertainly surround "The Interview" that the distraction would take away from the spirit and joy of the season.”
These "safety concerns" come from the cyberattack on Sony Pictures a few weeks ago that spoiled at least four other movies the film distributor had in development as well as personal emails of studio execs and payroll information that caused no shortage of embarrassment for the studio. Which is to say that "safety concerns" likely means, "We don't want to get similarly hacked by the NoKos or anybody else."
And so, right on schedule....:
Hours after an announcement that U.S. authorities determined North Korea was behind the recent cyber-attack on Sony Pictures, the entertainment company announced it was pulling the release of the film "The Interview".
The comedy about journalists who score an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was scheduled for a December 25th release.
“Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film,” according to a statement from the company.
Sony also removed any mention of the movie from its website by Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier Wednesday, a federal law enforcement official offered the news about North Korea.
The official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, said a formal announcement of attribution by the U.S. government could come as soon as Thursday.
U.S. investigators believe the attacks originated outside North Korea, but they have determined that the actions were sanctioned by North Korean leaders, a second U.S. official said Wednesday.
The U.S. government is not prepared to issue formal charges against North Korea or its leadership, but the official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, said a lesser statement of attribution is expected.
"Don't you guys even think of attacking OUR entertainment infrastructure, or it's a formal announcement of attribution for you!" But charges? Nah, the Obama Regime won't go THAT far. It might get in the way of The One's "outreach" to the cornfed tinpot who now apparently has veto power over American cinema.
You all know by now that I don't go to many movies as a general matter of course. If it doesn't have mutants, Norse demigods, supersoldiers, huge green rage monsters, shapeshifting robots, men in black, guys in capes, starships, or Tony Stark it, you won't see my fat ass in a seat at Regal Tall Firs. Accordingly, I had no intention of dropping twelve bucks on The Interview. Heck, I didn't know James Franco even did comedies. But it would be nice to get to make that choice for myself, rather than it being made for me in Pyongyang.
And even some in Hollywood are coming forward to say so:
Rob Lowe just blasted Sony, calling the movie company a spineless sellout and comparing it to the famous British Prime Minister who caved in to Hitler.
Lowe reacted to Sony’s decision to pull “The Interview,” saying, “Saw @Sethrogen at JFK. Both of us have never seen or heard of anything like this. Hollywood has done Neville Chamberlain proud today.”
Chamberlain famously conceded Czechoslovakia to the Nazis in 1938. His policy of appeasement became synonymous with cowardice.
So far no word from Seth Rogen on whether he embraces Rob’s statement.
Jimmy Kimmel tweeted, “An un-American act of cowardice that validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent.”
And Newt Gingrich got into the act, tweeting “@RobLowe, No one should kid themselves. With the Sony collapse America has lost its first cyberwar. This is a very very dangerous precedent.”
To which Rob retweeted “It wasn’t the hackers who won, it was the terrorists and almost certainly the North Korean dictatorship, this was an act of war.”
Michael Moore just fired his own salvo saying, “Dear Sony Hackers: now that u run Hollywood, I’d also like less romantic comedies, fewer Michael Bay movies and no more Transformers.” [emphases added]
Is the "this is war" rhetoric a tad overheated? Perhaps. Obviously we're not going to nuke the NoKos over a movie that obviously wasn't going to be a blockbuster or it wouldn't have been scheduled for a Christmas release. But by the same token, historically, it would have taken invasion and conquest to give a foreign dictatorship veto power over what movies were shown in an ostensibly free country. Now, apparently, all it takes is a cybersquad and a computer with an internet connection. Which actually harkens back to the war parallel, come to think of it.
Why? Because if the NoKos (and the ChiComms, and the Russians, etc.) can hack a movie studio with little apparent difficulty, what's preventing enemies from hacking our electrical grid? Our nuclear plants? The New York Stock Exchange? The Pentagon?
Yeah, we can enjoy snark like, "You're not allowed to see The Interview - Kim jong-Un says so!" But isn't this pretty clearly another dry run for far worse cyberattacks to come?
Exit question: You don't suppose it was Barack Obama who wanted The Interview deep-sixed, and he secretly hired the NoKos to take it down for him, do you? You have to admit, now that he's been liberated of any remaining PR constraints to be the despot he wants to be, it isn't a wholly unreasonable theory.
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