Sony Pictures has cancelled the Christmas release of a film at the centre of a hacking scandal after terrorist threats to cinemagoers and a decision by major movie theatre groups to cancel screenings in the US.
A group calling itself Guardians of Peace (GOP) published an online message on Tuesday warning cinemagoers to stay away from screenings of “The Interview,” starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, which depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The threats led five of biggest cinema chains in the US to drop the film. A federal investigation is also under way.
The decision to cancel the release marks the climax of a torrid month for Sony. GOP has also claimed responsibility for a huge hack on Sony’s computer systems in November, which led to the release of thousands of confidential documents revealing executive pay structure, corporate profits, unreleased films, personal email correspondence and employee social security numbers.
Sony’s decision comes amid new reports that the US has determined North Korea was directly responsible for the hack.