Profiles in Hollywood Courage: Sony Caves

No sooner than I suggest that Hollywood order up a whole slate of movies mocking North Korea than the news comes that Sony is pulling theatrical release of “The Interview,” about which the hackers have threatened terrorist violence.  Call me a cynic, but I wonder if this isn’t a brilliant marketing play on behalf of a movie that was heading for total bomb status at the box office.  Sony will probably make more money on pay-per-view streaming and DVD sales now.  Why didn’t Michael Cimino think of this with “Heaven’s Gate” (which was on some forlorn cable channel last night, still as unwatchable as ever)?

No brave Hollywood studio would really buckle to a terrorist threat, would it?  After all, as we know Hollywood has been bravely standing up to the terrorist threat of McCarthyism for more than 50 years now.  Also Nazis.  And southerners.

But if Sony really is caving in to a threat, then all I can say to Hollywood is good night, and good luck.  (Heh.)  You’ll need it.

P.S.  Wired magazine thinks North Korea didn’t do it, though there are media reports out this afternoon that the administration will tomorrow identify the Norks as the culprit.  Stay tuned.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses