Hollywood outraged over blows to freedom with cancellation of The Interview

Hollywood has publicly condemned Sony Pictures’ decision to cancel release of the film at the heart of the hacking crisis, calling it an ignominious blow to freedom of speech, but some are quietly relieved at the removal of a threat to the Christmas box office.

Actors, directors and writers erupted in anger and scorn on Wednesday night after the studio announced it no longer planned to release The Interview, a comedy which depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, because of terrorist threats to cinemagoers.

The wave of indignation called the decision un-American, spineless, disgraceful and a dangerous precedent, with some comparing it to the appeasement of Adolf Hitler.

“Wow. Everyone caved. The hackers won. A complete and utter victory for them. Hollywood has done Neville Chamberlain proud today,” tweeted the actor Rob Lowe, citing the British prime minister who abandoned Czechoslovakia to the Nazis.

The talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel tweeted: “An un-American act of cowardice that validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent.”

“Damn. Bad guys won,” said Mia Farrow.

Judd Apatow, the director of Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, said freedom of expression had been compromised. “Are we going to suppress ourselves every time someone posts something online? It’s a dark future.” He worried Hollywood would shrink from making films about the Islamic State (Isis) or other “bad guys”.

Even Charlie Beck, the head of the Los Angeles police department, weighed in. “It does play into the desires of the people that did this and I find that unfortunate.”

On cue, New Regency studio pulled the plug on Pyongyang, a North Korea-set thriller starring Steve Carell which was due to start filming in March, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Sony Pictures, a Los Angeles-based subsidiary of the Japanese electronics giant, announced the cancellation of its Christmas release hours after major cinema chains said they would not screen it, citing safety concerns.

“We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theatergoers,” the studio said in a statement.

Seth Rogen and James Franco, who star in the film, made no immediate comment.

A group calling itself Guardians of Peace (GOP) published an online message on Tuesday warning people to stay away from screenings.

The same group claimed responsibility for a huge hack on Sony’s computer systems in November which splashed unreleased films, confidential documents, personal email correspondence and employee social security numbers across the internet.

Anonymous Obama administration officials told some media outlets on Wednesday that North Korea was behind the attack. The regime has denied responsibility but said sympathisers may have committed the “righteous deed”.

After nightmarish weeks trying and failing to undo the sabotage and stem embarrassing media reports based on the leaked documents, Sony recently drew sympathy from an industry more famous for schadenfreude.

The scale of the cyber-pillaging and the drip-drip manner of its leaking frightened everyone, said Husam Sam Asi, a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and a Golden Globes voter. “The infrastructure of some departments in Sony has been completely obliterated. They are in suspense. They keep asking what’s next? They don’t know.”

Tinseltown is still wondering how to protect its communications, gossip or otherwise. Turner Broadcasting is obliging employees to change computer passwords as a precaution, The Wrap reported.

The writer Aaron Sorkin, among others, faulted the media for exploiting the Sony leaks. Peter Bart, a veteran studio executive, said details about executives bickering and movies falling apart or going over budget was a distraction: “It’s telling the public more about the process than they want to know.”

Sony’s decision to pull the film shredded sympathy in the creative community and drew ridicule as well as recrimination.

“Dear Sony Hackers: now that u run Hollywood, I’d also like less romantic comedies, fewer Michael Bay movies and no more Transformers,” tweeted the filmmaker Michael Moore.

Sony was labelled the coward, but others quietly lobbied to drop the film.

Cinema chains feared audiences would steer clear of theatres showing The Interview. AMC cited “overall confusion and uncertainty that has been created in the marketplace”.

Shopping malls also reportedly lobbied to drop the film lest screenings deter skittish Christmas shoppers.

Legal experts warned of potentially enormous liability for Sony and theatres if there were any incident, whether committed by terrorists or copycat attention-seekers.

Rival studio executives with their own Christmas films worried about losing revenues during a key box office month.

“We’re all afraid people aren’t going to go to theaters in general because of the threat,” an unnamed studio executive told the LA Times. “The theaters are supposed to be an escape for people to get entertained … If they don’t show up, it could be disastrous.”