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Individual theaters backed out before Sony had a choice in matter. If theaters refuse to play the film, it's moot what Sony does. Of course they could accept s

Individual theaters backed out before Sony had a choice in matter. If theaters refuse to play the film, it's moot what Sony does. Of course they could accept s limited release, but that would kill their profits. They are a business so it wouldn't make much sense to do a limited release if it's not profitable. They could still go for a digital release or something else but they probably won't. People should really be upset at the theater owners who officially opted out. Chances are Sony may have pushed the release anyways but since they were forced by the theaters they are the ones who deserve to be balked at. Also, Sony isn't America. It's a Japanese company, with a large presence and investment in America, but there's no reason to assume that give them any nationalistic motives or compass.

superuser2 12y ago
>They are a business so it wouldn't make much sense to do a limited release if it's not profitable. The movie has been produced at this point. It can't cost that much to ship some hard drives to theaters. It would make sense to try to recover at least some of their investment.
- codezero 12y ago
  I bet there is some threshold at which the movie does worse in the long term with limited release. They can still do a full release in the future and part of the profit is purely from buzz and social momentum, followed up by video sales etc... So they can probably just wait until it's worthehile for a full release. The newest Hobbit movie was ready for summer release but pushed to avoid competition with other hits. If they can wait 6 months, I'm sure Sony can wait here with minimal losses.
rwallace 12y ago
If I were the CEO of Sony, I'd put the damn movie on YouTube under a CC license and weaponize the Streisand effect. This has turned out to be a dead loss financially for Sony either way, and when you know you've lost the current game, it's time to start thinking about the next one. Being seen to capitulate like this marks Sony as an easy target. The next time some bunch of cybercriminals wants money and is thinking about targets for some blackmail scheme, who's going to be at the top of their list?
- tiglionabbit 12y ago
  Why make it free? I'm sure the Streisand effect is strong enough to get a lot of people to buy this movie if they released it online and/or direct to video. "Buy the movie North Korea doesn't want you to see". A pure digital release would make it pretty hard for terrorists to decide what to bomb.
- Shivetya 12y ago
  Sony has no plans to release it on video which I found astounding. Who caved first doesn't matter in my book but I do understand their concern. If it truly was North Korea or people they paid do you really think those they targeted would be safe anywhere? About any country can disappear someone, even outside their own country, and North Korea isn't beyond that, they may not be to the level of the US or Russia but I have read they had a fondness at one time for kidnapping Japanese nationals.
  - maxerickson 12y ago
    'no plans' doesn't really mean anything. At the moment I would say it means they still want to do a theater release after this kerfuffle blows over.
  - wlesieutre 12y ago
    >Sony has no plans to release it on video which I found astounding. Sony should make some sort of TV-connected "console" to let people buy and download media over the internet. Waaaaait a second. I know the movie studio and consumer electronics divisions aren't the same thing, but if they really wanted to get this video out I have to imagine that the Sony-umbrella companies are capable of working together. My bet is they change course and still show it in theaters. Maybe not on the original launch date, and maybe not everywhere, but (caving to terrorists aside) they spent a pile of money on this and they want to make it back.
- kaitai 12y ago
  Right -- why not release it to individuals for even $2.99 and have a "watch-in" where you go watch in a local public space that is not advertised or set before-hand? Make it the decentralized distributed stupid-comedy-watching sit-in of the year. Do it on short notice so people feel comfortable that no one could set up a terrorist attack beforehand.
ddingus 12y ago
It's a sunk cost. SONY should release, because fuck terror.
elektronjunge 12y ago
The theaters backed out when Sony let them back out. Sony had contracts with the theaters that said that they would show the film. After receiving the threats Sony told the theaters that they were no longer bound by those contracts.

superuser2 12y ago

>They are a business so it wouldn't make much sense to do a limited release if it's not profitable. The movie has been produced at this point. It can't cost that much to ship some hard drives to theaters. It would make sense to try to recover at least some of their investment.

codezero 12y ago
I bet there is some threshold at which the movie does worse in the long term with limited release. They can still do a full release in the future and part of the profit is purely from buzz and social momentum, followed up by video sales etc... So they can probably just wait until it's worthehile for a full release. The newest Hobbit movie was ready for summer release but pushed to avoid competition with other hits. If they can wait 6 months, I'm sure Sony can wait here with minimal losses.

rwallace 12y ago

If I were the CEO of Sony, I'd put the damn movie on YouTube under a CC license and weaponize the Streisand effect. This has turned out to be a dead loss financially for Sony either way, and when you know you've lost the current game, it's time to start thinking about the next one. Being seen to capitulate like this marks Sony as an easy target. The next time some bunch of cybercriminals wants money and is thinking about targets for some blackmail scheme, who's going to be at the top of their list?

tiglionabbit 12y ago
Why make it free? I'm sure the Streisand effect is strong enough to get a lot of people to buy this movie if they released it online and/or direct to video. "Buy the movie North Korea doesn't want you to see". A pure digital release would make it pretty hard for terrorists to decide what to bomb.
Shivetya 12y ago
Sony has no plans to release it on video which I found astounding. Who caved first doesn't matter in my book but I do understand their concern. If it truly was North Korea or people they paid do you really think those they targeted would be safe anywhere? About any country can disappear someone, even outside their own country, and North Korea isn't beyond that, they may not be to the level of the US or Russia but I have read they had a fondness at one time for kidnapping Japanese nationals.
- maxerickson 12y ago
  'no plans' doesn't really mean anything. At the moment I would say it means they still want to do a theater release after this kerfuffle blows over.
- wlesieutre 12y ago
  >Sony has no plans to release it on video which I found astounding. Sony should make some sort of TV-connected "console" to let people buy and download media over the internet. Waaaaait a second. I know the movie studio and consumer electronics divisions aren't the same thing, but if they really wanted to get this video out I have to imagine that the Sony-umbrella companies are capable of working together. My bet is they change course and still show it in theaters. Maybe not on the original launch date, and maybe not everywhere, but (caving to terrorists aside) they spent a pile of money on this and they want to make it back.
kaitai 12y ago
Right -- why not release it to individuals for even $2.99 and have a "watch-in" where you go watch in a local public space that is not advertised or set before-hand? Make it the decentralized distributed stupid-comedy-watching sit-in of the year. Do it on short notice so people feel comfortable that no one could set up a terrorist attack beforehand.

ddingus 12y ago

It's a sunk cost. SONY should release, because fuck terror.

elektronjunge 12y ago

The theaters backed out when Sony let them back out. Sony had contracts with the theaters that said that they would show the film. After receiving the threats Sony told the theaters that they were no longer bound by those contracts.