As many of you guys might have heard by now, Sony has decided to cancel The Interview from being shown in cinemas. This is no thanks to the hackers of Sony Pictures who actually made physical threats of what they would do to theaters that screen the movie, thus forcing theaters to pull out and Sony ultimately giving into the hackers’ demands.
Was that the right call? After all better safe than sorry, right? Well it seems that President Obama does not agree with Sony’s move. In a statement released by the President, “We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States,” Obama said. “If somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing if they see a documentary they don’t like or news reports they don’t like.”
Obama stated that he sympathized with Sony’s plight and added, “I wish they had spoken to me first. I would have told them do not get into a pattern in which you’re intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks.” Sony has not cancelled the movie entirely but rather chose to cancel its theatrical release which was set for Christmas day.
While Obama declined to provide specifics, he did confirm that the US government will respond to the hacks which according to a recent FBI report points towards North Korea’s involvement. “We will respond. We will respond proportionately and in a space, time and manner that we choose.” What do you guys think? Was Sony’s decision to cancel the movie’s release the right one?