Why Was The Interview Christmas Release Cancelled?

[nsaspook]

Not sure what you are getting at with that last bit, but I liked his remarks a lot:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/19/politics/fbi-north-korea-responsible-sony/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

+1 for Obama.

Like he said, two can play that game.

 

[Astronuc]

Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton says the studio "did not capitulate" to hackers, and that its actions have been misunderstood.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...tures-did-not-capitulate-is-exploring-options

Meanwhile - BitTorrent To Sony: Let Us Distribute ‘The Interview’
https://tv.yahoo.com/news/bittorrent-sony-let-us-distribute-000201338.html

@BitTorrent - Battle stations!

 

[OmCheeto]

Sony Pictures Hack May Be Costliest Cyberattack Ever
https://www.yahoo.com/movies/sony-pictures-hack-may-be-costliest-cyberattack-105530367442.html

The attack is possibly the costliest ever for a U.S. company...

Screeeetch...

I just saw a comment, 11 hours ago:

Sony Pictures is a division of the Sony Corporation, which isn’t an American company. It’s a Japanese corporation with world headquarters in Tokyo. And there’s still no clear evidence linking North Korea to the cyberattackers who hacked into Sony Pictures, stealing its intellectual property and emails. Yet the White House says it’s treating the cyberattack on Sony as a "serious national security matter," and the National Security Council is considering a “proportionate response.” I agree we should guard America against cyberattacks, but why, exactly, is the attack on Sony our concern? Should we be protecting every global company?

all bolding mine

I also entered into an argument on FB, with a retired career Air Force major friend. We were actually on the same side. It was her daughter that sided against us. Which is odd, as my friend and I usually can never agree on anything.

Anyways, I jumped in, at the end, after they had argued for a few minutes.

My response:

I know we don't usually agree on anything, but I think we're on the same side here. I hadn't even heard of the movie, until it was canceled. When I saw the plot, it kind of made me sick to my stomach. A comedy about assassinating a current leader? Real funny... Maybe it's because we were both in the military, and have badges of "Defender of the Right to Free Speech", on our chests, that somewhere, in the back of our minds, a voice is saying; "Sick LOLZ movies are not the kind of free speech I was willing to die for, nor would ever want to see a single soldier die for, now, or forever".

I got a thumbs up, from her daughter. Yay!
Major major didn't respond. I think she just likes arguing with me, and was shocked.

I should probably leave out my past thoughts on the somewhat similar Rushdie incident, as, that experience is probably the basis for my current bias. But, of course, I can't resist; "Have book sales been sluggish?"
Rumors have it, that it cost the British government 10 million pounds to protect him from the people, he knew he'd offend, in order, to make a buck.

 

[Astronuc]

I believe Reich is incorrect.

"Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (SPE) is the American entertainment subsidiary of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony. Based in Culver City, California, it encompasses Sony's motion picture, television production and distribution units. Its group sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014 has been reported to be of $8.054 billion." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_Entertainment

It is very much an American company owned by a Japanese company, much like IBM, GE or Coca Cola own subsidiaries overseas. Some records indicate SPE is a privately held company incorporated in California (that might have changed since 1991 - possibly to Delaware). If it is incorporated in the US, it is US company, subject to US law. Its offices are in Culver City, CA, and much of its real property is in CA.

 

[Dotini]

Here is some skepticism that NK is responsible for the hacking:

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82344233/
...it may be wise to stay cautious; some cybersecurity experts who were skeptical of the North Korean connection are still skeptical.
The North Korea/"Interview" narrative is comforting in several ways. It feeds into the tendency to attribute almost God-like capabilities to an adversary, especially a secretive one; that's very much a scenario favored by Hollywood. (Think of the all-time definitive James Bond movie line, from "Dr. No": "World domination--same old dream.") And it helps Sony executives deflect blame -- how could anyone expect them to defend against an attack by such a sinister, all-powerful enemy? You can expect to see more coverage, like this piece from CNN, about North Korea's shadowy "Bureau 121," purportedly its Cyberattack Central.

There are great dangers in mistaken attribution -- it shifts attention from the real perpetrators, for one thing. A counterattack against North Korea could needlessly provoke the regime, wrecking the few diplomatic initiatives taking place.

Here's a rundown of the counter-narrative.

--"Whitehat" hacker and security expert Marc W. Rogers argues that the pattern of the attack implies that the attackers "had extensive knowledge of Sony’s internal architecture and access to key passwords. While it’s plausible that an attacker could have built up this knowledge over time ... Occam’s razor suggests the simpler explanation of an insider," perhaps one out for workplace revenge. (N.B. "Occam's razor" is the principle that the simplest explanation for something is often the best.)

--The assertion that the attack was uniquely sophisticated, which is an element of the accusation against North Korea, is both untrue and incompatible with the North Korea narrative. It presupposes that a nation-state without a native computer infrastructure could launch an unprecedented assault. More to the point, very similar hacking technology has been used in earlier hacks in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. The consulting firm Risk Based Security has a discussion of these and other aspects of the Sony affair.

It's worth noting that Risk Based Security's team isn't entirely convinced by the FBI statement. In an update to their commentary Friday, they observed that the agency has "not released any evidence to back these claims." They add: "While the FBI certainly has many skilled investigators, they are not infallible. Remember, this agency represents the same government that firmly stated that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, leading the U.S. into a more than ten year conflict, which was later disproven.

--Attribution of responsibility for attacks is much harder than laypersons believe. Kim Zetter of Wired observes, "Skilled hackers use proxy machines and false IP addresses to cover their tracks or plant false clues inside their malware to throw investigators off their trail." Evidence pointing to North Korea, Zetter writes, is also consistent with attacks by "hacktivists," who attack institutions for political motives of their own.

For more skepticism, see these posts by hacker Grugq and Jericho.

 

[nsaspook]

(N.B. "Occam's razor" is the principle that the simplest explanation for something is often the best.)

Who would hack Sony because of a bad movie about killing a NK leader? North Korea has no reason to hide its tracks and would likely leave traces to them intentionally. Sony wasn't a hard target and its political appeal to most hackctivist seems pretty weak.

 

[ZapperZ]

First of all, let's just state the obvious here. You can't buy this kind of publicity even if you try. For what appears to be a rather mediocre/obscure movie, this whole incident has given it world-wide publicity that the PR people could never dream of! So if North Korea was really responsible for this, all I can say is that they may think they've won the battle, but they will lose the war. I can easily see that the first weekend this movie is released, it will not only recoup the cost of the movie, but also make a tidy profit from it, just because millions of people are now curious to see what it is all about.

These people obviously never learned anything from the Salman-Rushdie effect, and obviously never understood such effects especially in our interconnected world today. What would have been a small-budget movie that would have probably disappeared into oblivion have become front-page news and an internet hot-topic discussion. If I were Sony, I would continue to play on this free publicity, and then release it and watch it take off.

So, to the North Korean officials reading this (they visit PF often, don't they?) if the idea was to make this movie disappear, it has seriously backfired.

Zz.

 

[Astronuc]

Analyst: We underestimated North Korea
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/17/world/asia/north-korea-cyberattacks/index.html
It's only because the hack at Sony was so successful and damaging, that this is news.

Such attacks have been going on daily for years. My previous company was constantly under cyberattack - maybe up to thousands of attempts per day. We implemented more robust security as it became available. Hackers from around the world (internet), primarily from Asia and E. Europe, try to hack into various government and commercial systems. In some cases, it's to steal money or information with which to get money, or in some cases, to vandalize systems.

Some of public should be better informed. One or more persons were careless, and basically let the hackers into Sony's system. That is one reason why companies do not want employees surfing the internet or doing personal email at work.

N. Korea pitches collaboration with U.S. on Sony cyberattack (this made me chuckle; like the US would reveal cyber analysis to NK)
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/20/world/asia/north-korea-sony-response/index.htmlSome interesting opinions:

Where's the outrage over the Sony hack? by Arun Vishwanath
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/16/opinion/vishwanath-sony-hack-outrage/

According to a video, Sony may have been infiltrated as early as the summer, and only notified authorities of the security breach in November.
CNN - "In June 2014, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said "The Interview" was "the most undisguised terrorism."
"If the U.S. administration connives at and patronizes the screening of the film, it will invite a strong and merciless countermeasure," he said."

And Sony Pictures wasn't prepared?!

America lost the cyberwar over Sony: Now what? by Newt Gingrich, CNN Political Commentator
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/18/opinion/gingrich-america-lost-cyberwar-sony/

How to win cyberwar against North Korea by Christian Whiton
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/18/opinion/whiton-sony-hack-response/

Hackers can't be stopped, but some of their crimes can by Penn Jillette
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/19/opinion/jillette-are-you-enabling-hackers/

Thank you, Sony hackers By Glenn Schwartz
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/opinion/schwartz-sony-hack/
Update: US discussing the matter with China.

The official said that during discussions on internet security both the US and China had "expressed the view that conducting destructive attacks in cyberspace is outside the norms of appropriate cyber behaviour".

http://news.yahoo.com/n-korea-calls-joint-probe-us-sony-hack-104108784.html
Common interest in stability.

And NK winds up! - N. Korea threatens strikes on US amid hacking claims
http://news.yahoo.com/n-korea-threatens-strikes-us-amid-hacking-claims-015728235.html

 

[Astronuc]

China condemns cyberattacks, but says no proof North Korea hacked Sony - I guess we'll agree to disagree?
http://news.yahoo.com/china-condemn...t-mention-north-korea-044953552--finance.html

John McCain Calls Sony Hack Attack ‘A New Form of Warfare’
https://variety.com/2014/biz/news/j...hack-attack-a-new-form-of-warfare-1201384749/
Well we knew this was coming. Actually, it's been going on for nearly a decade now.Sony Lawyer Says 'The Interview' Will Be Released at Some Point
https://www.yahoo.com/movies/sony-lawyer-says-the-interview-will-be-released-105865827337.html

 

[nitsuj]

China condemns cyberattacks, but says no proof North Korea hacked Sony - I guess we'll agree to disagree?John McCain Calls Sony Hack Attack ‘A New Form of Warfare’
Sony Lawyer Says 'The Interview' Will Be Released at Some Point
https://www.yahoo.com/movies/sony-lawyer-says-the-interview-will-be-released-105865827337.html

I have not heard of the existence of proof identifying who-dunit. I have read that there was "data" within code or something that the FBI deemed to be enough to isolate N.Korea as being the ones who performed the attack. I also read there was 3 party review that does not agree with the FBI findings.

"Warfare" is powerful language, and even more so when it comes from a powerful (military) country, such talk is a non-threat from N.Korea...it's scary when from US officials.

I like Obama's terminology: cyber-vandalism. Hopefully this fizzles out before the next president.

 

[Borg]

I hardly ever watch movies, but I'm going to watch this one now just because.

I think a lot of people are saying that!

A cynic might think Sony planned it this way all along, but that cynic would be ignorant to the reality of how business operates these days. I think the way Sony has handled this has been an absolute train wreck.

I think you're right.

 

[nsaspook]

Let the games begin.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/22/north-korea-is-suffering-a-complete-internet-outage/

The http://www.engadget.com/tag/north+korea/ (that's "North Korea" to the common man) has just four networks that connect to the world wide web -- and none of them are working today. "The situation now is they are totally offline," Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Dyn Research told Bloomberg. After a weekend of spotty connections, the country's pipeline to the outside world reportedly went down this morning. "This isn't normal for them," Madory said. "Usually they are up solid. It is kind of out of the ordinary. This is not like anything I've seen before."

Update: According to a tweet by Dyn Research, North Korea's internet service has been restored after a 9 hour, 31 minute outage.

 

[Borg]

And, it's on again - limited theatrical release for “The Interview” on Christmas Day.

We need a special butt emoticon for North Korea about right now...

 

[russ_watters]

Caught this gem of a CNN Headline Fail this afternoon:

It's since been changed to "Coming Soon". Seriously, CNN? I've caught some nice ones late at night or early in the morning, but middle of the afternoon? Do you edit your stuff after posting it (yeah, so do I, but I'm not getting paid for it...)? Anyway, obviously, this isn't a win for Sony, it is just a bit of saving face. No need to kick them when they're down. But:

First of all, let's just state the obvious here. You can't buy this kind of publicity even if you try. For what appears to be a rather mediocre/obscure movie, this whole incident has given it world-wide publicity that the PR people could never dream of! So if North Korea was really responsible for this, all I can say is that they may think they've won the battle, but they will lose the war. I can easily see that the first weekend this movie is released, it will not only recoup the cost of the movie, but also make a tidy profit from it, just because millions of people are now curious to see what it is all about.

I can't envision a scenario where that happens. Yes, I will make every effort to see this movie now, whereas I would have avoided it before, but I don't think patriotism or curiosity can carry a bad movie. Unlike for a book (which arcs for months or even years), movie hype peaks and fades fast and this will fade shortly after Christmas -- and there won't be enough theaters showing it for it to make any real money. My bet is that it under-performs in the end.

 

[Bystander]

Wanta bet the scalpers do or don't make a killing on "special, limited premier" tickets?

 

[nitsuj]

Yes, I will make every effort to see this movie now, whereas I would have avoided it before, but I don't think patriotism or curiosity can carry a bad movie. Unlike for a book (which arcs for months or even years), movie hype peaks and fades fast and this will fade shortly after Christmas -- and there won't be enough theaters showing it for it to make any real money. My bet is that it under-performs in the end.

I'm tending to agree and feel a "staggered" release is detrimental to "box office opening weekend" revenues. This will play out poorly financially if the movie actually isn't funny i.e. has a poor reception. That said, I am certainly a target demographic and will likely laugh my "butt off"...what's more there surely is a "core group" of regular movie patrons who choose which movie to see based on current competition. If there isn't any other "acceptable" "Date" movie...well you get the idea. Though I do believe Christmas day/weekend is busier than normal for theaters.

not sure if it's happenstance timing, but if this is a result of Obama's comments...cutting off your nose despite your face...hardly a matter of free speech being controlled by a dictator but all about capitalism. The "politics" came from some "club house" of goons on the other side of the world, Obama addressed it which gave it credibility which may have forced Sony's hand to "save face" forcing a staggered release.If that's how it played out..smooth move Obama.

I see Obama applauded the announcement...Sony should be seeking an endorsement. Perhaps that Obama saw the film and found it quite funny...hmmm perhaps that is the proper "diplomatic" response to N.Korea. "President Obama saw the film and laughed laughed laughed." Toned down for approval concerns at home, maybe just a quick mention in the press briefing room the pres. saw the movie and thought it was silly/childish/immature humor but giggled a few times.

Oh would that ever have Kim stirring...grrrrrr.

That said if the movie is above par, cha-ching!

Excerpt below likely was the fear distributors & producers had in this case

Dark Knight Rises no doubt left some money on the table because of the Aurora theater shooting during a midnight screening of Christopher Nolan's final Batman pic. It wasn't the only film impacted by the tragedy, however. Family films in particular took a hit, as did late-night showings overall. Source

I couldn't find a source for seasonal attendance to see if theaters suffer the same decrease in "after Christmas" traffic as retail typically does. That said I found a recent report that estimated disposable income to be about 1/3 the "weight" in deciding if you won't go to a movie theater. Source is a PDF file

I'd guess after Christmas even perceived disposable income is lower, never mind for those that actually have less.

 

[OmCheeto]

Wanta bet the scalpers do or don't make a killing on "special, limited premier" tickets?

A bunch of people, just recently, voluntarily, paid $180,000 for bull****.
I'm not wagering anything.
There are too many stoopid people, running the circus.

 

[russ_watters]

Wanta bet the scalpers do or don't make a killing on "special, limited premier" tickets?

The list of theaters includes only one in PA -- in Pittsburgh. I live near Philly. I'm considering ordering one online.

 

[nitsuj]

The list of theaters includes only one in PA -- in Pittsburgh. I live near Philly. I'm considering ordering one online.

Go to the matinee!

 

[mheslep]

The list of theaters includes only one in PA -- in Pittsburgh. I live near Philly. ...

Road trip

 

[russ_watters]

Looks like it may be released in pay per view on Youtube (didn't know that existed):
http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/24/media/interview-digital-release/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Great comment from the one commentator: if North Korea ever gets their internet working, 'Lil Kim will be able to watch it on Youtube!

 

[Czcibor]

Let the games begin.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/22/north-korea-is-suffering-a-complete-internet-outage/

But as was mentioned "And there’s still no clear evidence linking North Korea USA... Sony? to the [retaliatory] cyberattackers".

I sometimes got a feeling in case of political discussion, that there are some subjects that are a kind of public secret and people, when don't remember stop treating them as secret.

 

[Dotini]

New skepticism that NK was responsible for the Sony hack. But by no means allow that to temper your enthusiasm for The Interview.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/...xperts-that-north-korea-was-behind-sony-hack/

 

[nsaspook]

I sometimes got a feeling in case of political discussion, that there are some subjects that are a kind of public secret and people, when don't remember stop treating them as secret.

That would be telling. People were skeptical about the scope of US spying before Snowden. North Korea is a valid target for the most evasive methods possible so I would put my faith in the President knowing what he's talking about when he points to NK as the originator of the hack. This doesn't mean a NK agent actually did the dirty work.

 

[Dotini]

Today, Christmas day, 2014, Sony servers for Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 were hacked and taken down. I know because mine was one affected, and so were almost everybody on Gran Turismo Planet, the worldwide website for my game.

 

[I_am_learning]

Pardon my ignorance, but doesn't freedom of expression has the caveat that you shouldn't be mocking some particular person or a group or race of people? Or, it only applies to people/person within the country?
The movie, at some level, insults the people of North Korea and insults Kim Jong-un.
But I see political leaders all over the world get insulted all the time through cartoons, accusations etc., so, are popular people not protected?
I really don't get this. Can I say insulting thing about just about any person and claim its my freedom of expression?
I hope to learn.

 

[Bystander]

That depends upon your party affiliation. You ask an excellent question, and there are no honest answers for it. Your freedom of expression depends upon who you know and whether you have sense enough to not freely express your opinions/views/feelings around those who "guarantee/protect" your freedom of expression. Unless, of course, you are the big dog in the kennel.

 

[Evo]

Pardon my ignorance, but doesn't freedom of expression has the caveat that you shouldn't be mocking some particular person or a group or race of people? Or, it only applies to people/person within the country?
The movie, at some level, insults the people of North Korea and insults Kim Jong-un.
But I see political leaders all over the world get insulted all the time through cartoons, accusations etc., so, are popular people not protected?
I really don't get this. Can I say insulting thing about just about any person and claim its my freedom of expression?
I hope to learn.

People that have chosen to be in the public's eye are open to people making jokes, critiquing them, but not death threats or threats of bodily harm.

I won't be watching the movie, the fact that Sony got hacked is no reason for me to watch this movie that I have no interest in.

 

[nitsuj]

Looks like it is a very funny movie, and apparently can be seen as a satire on US "politicking" (Cuba). Hurray! After watching Oliver Stones "Nixon" that latter point is clear. With both "old" CIA tactics mixed with current view of the N.Korean regime I am now looking forward to seeing this movie more than before viewers reviews.

 

[russ_watters]

Pardon my ignorance, but doesn't freedom of expression has the caveat that you shouldn't be mocking some particular person or a group or race of people? Or, it only applies to people/person within the country?

No - why would it? Free is free. It means you can say whatever you want as long as there isn't a direct connection with an illegal action (like a real threat).

Can I say insulting thing about just about any person and claim its my freedom of expression?

Yes, that's what freedom of expression is. And while we're at it, I let this one go but really shouldn't have:

Maybe it's because we were both in the military, and have badges of "Defender of the Right to Free Speech", on our chests, that somewhere, in the back of our minds, a voice is saying; "Sick LOLZ movies are not the kind of free speech I was willing to die for, nor would ever want to see a single soldier die for, now, or forever".

I got a thumbs up, from her daughter. Yay!
Major major didn't respond. I think she just likes arguing with me, and was shocked.

That's really disturbing, coming not just from people who should know better but people who were willing to risk their lives for an issue and not even understand why!

Popular freedom of speech doesn't need protection because it is popular, so no one would try to oppress it! It is the unpopular freedom of speech that needs protection. Your view of freedom of speech is backwards! Hopefully, the Major didn't respond because she knew better.