9 ms·
My initial thought was the opposite. There's no way this is a credible threat, but the theater chains can pretend it is and use it as a negotiating tactic again
by jobu 12y ago
My initial thought was the opposite. There's no way this is a credible threat, but the theater chains can pretend it is and use it as a negotiating tactic against Sony for better terms.
- baddox 12y agoOr they can use it as an excuse for their decision to remove an already controversial film.
- Crito 12y agoControversial with who? American audiences? I doubt it. What little controversy might exist over the film with American audiences is dwarfed by the controversy there was over even mundane family films like Harry Potter. Sure, the North Koreans hate the film, but why do these cinema companies give half a shit? They weren't going to get North Korean ticket sales regardless of the movies content.
- baddox 12y ago> Controversial with who? American audiences? Yes, absolutely.
- HNaTTY 12y agoAs a counterpoint, I'll point you to Chris Rock's opening monologue on SNL last month, wherein he makes 9/11 jokes. Famous comedian, Network TV, IN NYC... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYZLKqGhSZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYZLKqGhSZs It got some comments but there was no lasting controversy about it as far as I'm concerned.
- baddox 12y agoYeah, jokes about terrorism can obviously attract controversy, but that monologue was fairly mild as those go. I wouldn't consider it anywhere near as provocative as The Interview.
- kalleboo 12y agoIf it was a western leader maybe, but North Korea's leaders are comedy punching bags in the US. See: Every late night show monologue ever, Team America: World Police.
- baddox 12y agoI'm not sure if one (or both) of us is majorly filter bubbled, but my impression is that Team America (and pretty much everything from those guys, including South Park) is extremely controversial.
- duaneb 12y agoThe only controversy that exists is in the head of north koreans. You need to be part of a society to enter into its controversy. Do you see any americans protesting this? Of course not, it's a silly comedy. Trying showing a nipple, though....
- baddox 12y agoYes, I have heard Americans say that it is unacceptable to make a comedy film that makes fun of a country where people are currently being oppressed, and other Americans say that it is unacceptable to joke about assassinating a current world leader (even if the leader might deserve it). Not only that, but all films from this gang tend to be rather crude and controversial even without a political angle. I don't share the ideas, but they certainly aren't rare.
- Retra 12y agoI would wager that those Americans don't know what "unacceptable" means in a culture where we have agreed to explicitly _accept_ such things as a measure of protection of free speech.
- eropple 12y agoThere's a crucial difference between "accept" and "tolerate" and there's an even wider difference between "the government must tolerate that speech" and "I must tolerate that speech." I roundly reject the speech of shitty people. (I've switched tabletop game stores because I have no patience for GamerGate partisans, for example.) While I don't agree with the notion that this movie is deserving of rejection, I sympathize and anybody who feels that way is not somehow wrong by refusing to accept and patronize it.
- Retra 12y agoWell that's just equivocating. You accept that they are allowed to say those things. Or you accept that other people are allowed to hear them. The speech is _able_ to be accepted, even if you don't _in particular_ accept it yourself.
- mey 12y agoOr it was going to most likely be a commercial flop anyways http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_interview_2014/ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_interview_2014/
- mynameisvlad 12y agoCritics' reviews can mean jack shit, especially for stupid comedies like this one. Movie critics rarely rate crude and stupid comedies highly. Looking at the audience section, with 27k entries, 96% wanting to see it and a 3.8/5 score pre-release, it's clear that it wouldn't have been a flop.
- Crito 12y agoExactly. For example, the (also Seth Rogan / James Franco) film Pineapple Express: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pineapple_express/ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pineapple_express/ 58% rating from "Top Critics". 73% rating from audiences.
- chrischen 12y ago21 Jump Street has high reviews.
- mynameisvlad 12y agoYes, and? That says nothing about the general case, which is that crude humour is often hated by critics.
- chrischen 12y agoYea but that original statement is also not backed by data (yet).
- Crito 12y agoMovies do not get their theatrical releases cancelled for 50% critic ratings. Particularly not well-publicized stoner movies with big-name actors and fervent fans. That just isn't something that happens. Even Dude, Where's My Car? got its theatrical release. The idea that Sony is using the DPRK as an excuse to shitcan this movie because of mediocre critic ratings is flat out absurd.
- btilly 12y agoThere's no way this is a credible threat... The physical threat? No. But there is a credible threat here. No theater wants to go through what Sony is going through right now. And no sensible one believes that they are going to be able to protect themselves from it.
- HNaTTY 12y agoAnd once the first domino (theater) falls, the pressure on remaining theaters increases tremendously.