Interview Premiere Axed, Theaters Get OK to Pull It

It's not looking good for The Interview: The movie's New York City premiere has been canceled after a threat from the Sony hackers, and Sony Pictures says theaters that had arranged to show it are free to pull it. Carmike Cinemas, the country's fourth-largest cinema chain, has already decided it won't show the comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and others are certain to follow, Deadline reports. Sony's decision to allow theaters to pull the film just days before its scheduled Christmas Day opening is "unprecedented in recent Hollywood history," reports the Wall Street Journal.

The FBI is investigating the case, which Hollywood insiders say is unlike anything they've ever encountered before. "I have had actors and stars die in the middle of productions. I have had the federal government threaten to do nasty things to me if I released a picture. I have seen a number of phenomena," Paramount exec and former Variety editor Peter Bart tells USA Today. "But I have never seen anything coming even close to this sort of thing on any level." Seth Rogen and James Franco were at last week's low-key premiere in Los Angeles but have canceled other media appearances for the film. (More The Interview stories.)