Nerfherder
Honorary Master
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Sony pulls the plug on "The Interview"
- Thread starter marine1
- Start date
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
NORTH KOREA'S INTERNET DOWN AGAIN: US EXPERTS
North Korea's connections to the Internet were cut for the second day running Tuesday, according to a US Internet research group that has been tracking the country's struggle to stay online.
Dyn Research said North Korea's four online networks, all supplied by Chinese communications firm China Unicom, went offline at 1541 GMT after becoming unstable over the preceding hours.
On Monday, North Korea had been cut off from the Internet for more than nine hours, triggering speculation that the isolated dictatorship had been targeted by a US cyber attack.
Washington has accused North Korea of being behind the hacking of Hollywood studio Sony Pictures, and President Barack Obama has promised a "proportionate response" to the alleged attack.
The cause of the outages in North Korea's already limited Internet access has not been confirmed, but experts said that the kind of crash it suffered resembles that caused by a "denial of service" attack.
Source : Sapa-AFP /gf
Date : 23 Dec 2014 18:42
North Korea's connections to the Internet were cut for the second day running Tuesday, according to a US Internet research group that has been tracking the country's struggle to stay online.
Dyn Research said North Korea's four online networks, all supplied by Chinese communications firm China Unicom, went offline at 1541 GMT after becoming unstable over the preceding hours.
On Monday, North Korea had been cut off from the Internet for more than nine hours, triggering speculation that the isolated dictatorship had been targeted by a US cyber attack.
Washington has accused North Korea of being behind the hacking of Hollywood studio Sony Pictures, and President Barack Obama has promised a "proportionate response" to the alleged attack.
The cause of the outages in North Korea's already limited Internet access has not been confirmed, but experts said that the kind of crash it suffered resembles that caused by a "denial of service" attack.
Source : Sapa-AFP /gf
Date : 23 Dec 2014 18:42
Sony have said they are now going to release the movie, not sure hen, not sure how.
My bet is now its going to break recordsSeems like a great way to get people to want to see the movie. You cant buy advertising like that
They're showing it in "select theatres" on christmas day in USA,
Fulcrum29
Honorary Master
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/interview-theaters-are-showing-film-760137
About 200 theaters will be reeling the film on christmas day, expecting the major cinema franchises to join in participating on either christmas day or on new years. The film will be shown and also be released digitally.
marine1
Honorary Master
This movie is going to smash box office records
dualmeister
Honorary Master
YouTube tentatively agrees to stream 'The Interview'
YouTube, the world's largest video web site, has tentatively agreed to help Sony Pictures distribute "The Interview" via the Internet, according to sources with direct knowledge of the ongoing negotiations.
The sources cautioned that the deal could still fall apart.
But if Sony Pictures can get the deal done in time, "The Interview" will have a historic simultaneous release in both living rooms and theaters.
CNN
http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/24/media/interview-digital-release/index.html
YouTube, the world's largest video web site, has tentatively agreed to help Sony Pictures distribute "The Interview" via the Internet, according to sources with direct knowledge of the ongoing negotiations.
The sources cautioned that the deal could still fall apart.
But if Sony Pictures can get the deal done in time, "The Interview" will have a historic simultaneous release in both living rooms and theaters.
CNN
http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/24/media/interview-digital-release/index.html
dualmeister
Honorary Master
Last edited:
Hamish McPanji
Honorary Master
Congratulations to Obama and his team for forcing Sony to release the movie. Well done
/no evidence....just saying
/no evidence....just saying
marine1
Honorary Master
Last edited:
dualmeister
Honorary Master
Well as predicted numerous copies of the movie are all over the net already lol.
MickeyD
RIP
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
STREAMING RELEASE OF 'INTERVIEW' TEST FOR INDUSTRY
Sony's "The Interview" has been a hacking target, a punchline and a political lightning rod. Now, with its release online at the same time it debuts in theaters, it has a new role: a test for a new kind of movie release.
"The Interview" stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as journalists tasked by the CIA with killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Its Christmas Day release was canceled by Sony after threats of violence by hackers linked to North Korea. But after an outcry, the release was reinstated in some independent theaters and now, through a few online video services.
Although the circumstances surrounding "The Interview" are unprecedented, experts say the release will be closely watched to see how moviegoers and theater chains react to a simultaneous debut. It's a challenge to the longstanding practice of "windowing" - opening a movie first in theaters to maximize box-office revenue before making the movie available in other stages of home video, streaming and television.
"I can't say that this is the future," said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations Co. "For this film, in particular, it works because of the saga that goes along with it. But it's nice to have a film we can actually use as a guinea pig for a video-on-demand release."
Sony released "The Interview" Wednesday on a variety of digital platforms - Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft's Xbox Video and a separate Sony website. It costs $5.99 to rent for 48 hours and $14.99 to purchase. It also will open in more than 300 smaller theaters on Thursday, though major chains are still holding out.
Carrying "The Interview" marks another step in Google's efforts to establish YouTube as an entertainment hub that features major movies and trendy musical videos - not just cute clips of kitties. Google, though, primarily is providing outlets for the movie because it considers itself to be a guardian of free speech.
Decisions by Google and Microsoft to show the movie could open their sites to hacking. Microsoft reported technical problems with its Xbox sign-in system Wednesday, though it wasn't known whether it was the result of hacking. Microsoft services appeared back to normal by Wednesday night. Microsoft declined comment.
Online availability of "The Interview" comes as more people are choosing to stream video online, largely because of YouTube, Hulu and Netflix, which has been phasing out its original DVD-by-mail business over the past four years. During that time, the number of Netflix subscribers in the U.S. has nearly doubled to about 40 million in a reflection of Internet video's growing popularity.
Nonetheless, releasing a major motion picture in theaters and online simultaneously - known as a "day-and-date" release - has never been done by a major studio with a mainstream movie like "The Interview." It's been limited to some smaller indie and foreign movies. The upcoming "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" sequel will be released on Netflix and Imax theaters on the same day, but that isn't a studio production, despite the involvement of the Weinstein Co.
Theater chains have been trying to preserve the traditional theatrical window. Regal Cinemas and Cinemark, for example, declined to screen Warner Bros.' day-and-date release "Veronica Mars" earlier this year. Warner Bros. instead rented from AMC Theaters most of the 270 screens the movie played in while it was also released on VOD.
This time, however, the four major theater chains can't really object, analysts said, as they all declined to show "The Interview," leaving Sony little choice.
"This isn't being done because Sony wants to do it regularly, but rather out of necessity prompted by the exhibitor boycott," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said. "The only guys showing it are independent chains."
With a modest budget of about $40 million, "The Interview" had been predicted to gross about $30 million in its opening weekend. Bock estimates Sony could gross just a fraction of that - $3 million to $4 million - at this box office this weekend. As for streaming, Bock said the $5.99 price for rental is much lower than regular theater tickets, and that could drive demand. But Sony isn't likely to make up all of its costs, including the tens of millions in marketing costs already incurred.
A best-case scenario for a video-on-demand release is the thriller "Snowpiercer," which debuted on video on demand about two weeks after its theatrical release. It made nearly $11 million on VOD, more than double its theatrical revenue, and is considered one of the most successful VOD releases so far.
If "The Interview" agreement is similar to other digital video deals, Google and Microsoft will get a 30 percent commission on all rentals and purchases of the movies made through their services. Yet even if the movie were to be wildly successful and generate $100 million in video-on-demand revenue, that would leave about $30 million for Google and Microsoft to divide - hardly anything for two of the world's most profitable companies. For instance, Google is expected to bring in revenue of about $66 billion this year, or about $30 million every four hours.
By including "The Interview" in their libraries, both YouTube and Microsoft's Xbox can also make more people aware they rent and sell a wide range of videos. Although YouTube began renting movies nearly five years ago, many people think of the site as a destination for free clips lasting for a few minutes instead of place to watch full-length films.
Gitesh Pandya, editor of Box Office Guru, said all the media attention should lead to "strong averages from the limited theatrical release plus solid video-on-demand sales" over the holidays, but he expects demand to fade in January because of the quality of the movie.
"It is great that a freedom of speech debate is happening for Hollywood films," he said. "I just wish it was centered around a better movie," he said.
Source : Sapa-AP /kn
Date : 25 Dec 2014 08:01
Sony's "The Interview" has been a hacking target, a punchline and a political lightning rod. Now, with its release online at the same time it debuts in theaters, it has a new role: a test for a new kind of movie release.
"The Interview" stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as journalists tasked by the CIA with killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Its Christmas Day release was canceled by Sony after threats of violence by hackers linked to North Korea. But after an outcry, the release was reinstated in some independent theaters and now, through a few online video services.
Although the circumstances surrounding "The Interview" are unprecedented, experts say the release will be closely watched to see how moviegoers and theater chains react to a simultaneous debut. It's a challenge to the longstanding practice of "windowing" - opening a movie first in theaters to maximize box-office revenue before making the movie available in other stages of home video, streaming and television.
"I can't say that this is the future," said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations Co. "For this film, in particular, it works because of the saga that goes along with it. But it's nice to have a film we can actually use as a guinea pig for a video-on-demand release."
Sony released "The Interview" Wednesday on a variety of digital platforms - Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft's Xbox Video and a separate Sony website. It costs $5.99 to rent for 48 hours and $14.99 to purchase. It also will open in more than 300 smaller theaters on Thursday, though major chains are still holding out.
Carrying "The Interview" marks another step in Google's efforts to establish YouTube as an entertainment hub that features major movies and trendy musical videos - not just cute clips of kitties. Google, though, primarily is providing outlets for the movie because it considers itself to be a guardian of free speech.
Decisions by Google and Microsoft to show the movie could open their sites to hacking. Microsoft reported technical problems with its Xbox sign-in system Wednesday, though it wasn't known whether it was the result of hacking. Microsoft services appeared back to normal by Wednesday night. Microsoft declined comment.
Online availability of "The Interview" comes as more people are choosing to stream video online, largely because of YouTube, Hulu and Netflix, which has been phasing out its original DVD-by-mail business over the past four years. During that time, the number of Netflix subscribers in the U.S. has nearly doubled to about 40 million in a reflection of Internet video's growing popularity.
Nonetheless, releasing a major motion picture in theaters and online simultaneously - known as a "day-and-date" release - has never been done by a major studio with a mainstream movie like "The Interview." It's been limited to some smaller indie and foreign movies. The upcoming "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" sequel will be released on Netflix and Imax theaters on the same day, but that isn't a studio production, despite the involvement of the Weinstein Co.
Theater chains have been trying to preserve the traditional theatrical window. Regal Cinemas and Cinemark, for example, declined to screen Warner Bros.' day-and-date release "Veronica Mars" earlier this year. Warner Bros. instead rented from AMC Theaters most of the 270 screens the movie played in while it was also released on VOD.
This time, however, the four major theater chains can't really object, analysts said, as they all declined to show "The Interview," leaving Sony little choice.
"This isn't being done because Sony wants to do it regularly, but rather out of necessity prompted by the exhibitor boycott," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said. "The only guys showing it are independent chains."
With a modest budget of about $40 million, "The Interview" had been predicted to gross about $30 million in its opening weekend. Bock estimates Sony could gross just a fraction of that - $3 million to $4 million - at this box office this weekend. As for streaming, Bock said the $5.99 price for rental is much lower than regular theater tickets, and that could drive demand. But Sony isn't likely to make up all of its costs, including the tens of millions in marketing costs already incurred.
A best-case scenario for a video-on-demand release is the thriller "Snowpiercer," which debuted on video on demand about two weeks after its theatrical release. It made nearly $11 million on VOD, more than double its theatrical revenue, and is considered one of the most successful VOD releases so far.
If "The Interview" agreement is similar to other digital video deals, Google and Microsoft will get a 30 percent commission on all rentals and purchases of the movies made through their services. Yet even if the movie were to be wildly successful and generate $100 million in video-on-demand revenue, that would leave about $30 million for Google and Microsoft to divide - hardly anything for two of the world's most profitable companies. For instance, Google is expected to bring in revenue of about $66 billion this year, or about $30 million every four hours.
By including "The Interview" in their libraries, both YouTube and Microsoft's Xbox can also make more people aware they rent and sell a wide range of videos. Although YouTube began renting movies nearly five years ago, many people think of the site as a destination for free clips lasting for a few minutes instead of place to watch full-length films.
Gitesh Pandya, editor of Box Office Guru, said all the media attention should lead to "strong averages from the limited theatrical release plus solid video-on-demand sales" over the holidays, but he expects demand to fade in January because of the quality of the movie.
"It is great that a freedom of speech debate is happening for Hollywood films," he said. "I just wish it was centered around a better movie," he said.
Source : Sapa-AP /kn
Date : 25 Dec 2014 08:01
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
SONY STREAMS NORTH KOREA COMEDY ONLINE
by SARA PUIG
Entertainment giant Sony on Wednesday released online "The Interview," the movie that has outraged North Korea for lampooning dictator Kim Jong-Un, giving an early Christmas present to US viewers.
The madcap, irreverent R-rated comedy was available for rent in the United States from 1800 GMT on several platforms, a day before a limited release in about 200 cinemas on Christmas Day.
It was being distributed on Google's YouTube for a $5.99 rental fee, on the Google Play app for Android devices and on a dedicated website, seetheinterview.com.
A bawdy, expletive-laden tale full of sexual innuendo and scatological humor, the film's future had been in doubt after Sony said it was canceling the release after an embarrassing cyber-attack on its corporate network and threats against moviegoers.
The US has blamed the hack attack on North Korea, and President Barack Obama has threatened reprisals.
But Sony also came under fire from Obama and free speech advocates for pulling the film, and the studio quickly performed an about-face.
While some US movie theater chains got cold feet after anonymous online threats, a limited number have agreed to show the film from Thursday.
Starring American comic actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, the film is a silly, low-brow romp about a CIA plot to assassinate Kim.
A kind of a cross between a slapstick James Bond movie and "Hangover," it is aimed squarely at an audience (most likely teen boys) out for a fun but vacuous night at the cinema.
Almost two hours long, the film depicts how girl-chasing, hard-partying, always fashionable tabloid TV presenter Dave Skylark (Franco) and his bro-romance producer (Rogen), score an exclusive interview with the leader of the world's most reclusive state.
That's when the CIA steps in and presents them with a plan to kill Kim.
Once in in Pyongyang, however, Skylark begins to bond with Kim over basketball, Katy Perry songs piped into his Russian-made tank, and margaritas served during a drug-fuelled evening with a bevvy of naked beauties.
There are shots of a naked Kim's backside, and he's portrayed as a man deeply scarred by never winning his father's approval and determined to show the world how tough he can be.
Eventually even Skylark learns the truth about the regime's brutality, and he sets out to take down Kim by exposing him as a liar during his live interview.
"Kim must die -- that's the American way," says Skylark, as the plot is hatched.
Much has been made of earlier trailers that showed Kim's head exploding in a bloody climax, but in the online version that was obscured as he was instead consumed in a ball of missile fire.
"It has always been Sony's intention to have a national platform on which to release this film," said Sony Entertainment chairman Michael Lynton said in a statement.
"It was essential for our studio to release this movie, especially given the assault upon our business and our employees by those who wanted to stop free speech."
"Merry X-mas MERICA!!!! THE INTERVIEW IS LIVE!!!!!!!!! Watch it," Franco said in a message on his Twitter account.
Rogen apologized to Canadians that it was not yet available for download in his native Canada "BUT will be soon. We are working on it," he promised.
"I need to say that a comedy is best viewed in a theater full of people so if you can, I'd watch it like that. Or call some friends over," Rogen said in a separate Tweet.
Russell Brand, who shares the same vein of humor, rejoiced on Twitter "saying celebrate freedom and Christmas by watching The Interview."
"Do not attempt to assassinate anyone -- it's pretend," he added.
Source : Sapa-AFP /gf
Date : 24 Dec 2014 23:51
by SARA PUIG
Entertainment giant Sony on Wednesday released online "The Interview," the movie that has outraged North Korea for lampooning dictator Kim Jong-Un, giving an early Christmas present to US viewers.
The madcap, irreverent R-rated comedy was available for rent in the United States from 1800 GMT on several platforms, a day before a limited release in about 200 cinemas on Christmas Day.
It was being distributed on Google's YouTube for a $5.99 rental fee, on the Google Play app for Android devices and on a dedicated website, seetheinterview.com.
A bawdy, expletive-laden tale full of sexual innuendo and scatological humor, the film's future had been in doubt after Sony said it was canceling the release after an embarrassing cyber-attack on its corporate network and threats against moviegoers.
The US has blamed the hack attack on North Korea, and President Barack Obama has threatened reprisals.
But Sony also came under fire from Obama and free speech advocates for pulling the film, and the studio quickly performed an about-face.
While some US movie theater chains got cold feet after anonymous online threats, a limited number have agreed to show the film from Thursday.
Starring American comic actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, the film is a silly, low-brow romp about a CIA plot to assassinate Kim.
A kind of a cross between a slapstick James Bond movie and "Hangover," it is aimed squarely at an audience (most likely teen boys) out for a fun but vacuous night at the cinema.
Almost two hours long, the film depicts how girl-chasing, hard-partying, always fashionable tabloid TV presenter Dave Skylark (Franco) and his bro-romance producer (Rogen), score an exclusive interview with the leader of the world's most reclusive state.
That's when the CIA steps in and presents them with a plan to kill Kim.
Once in in Pyongyang, however, Skylark begins to bond with Kim over basketball, Katy Perry songs piped into his Russian-made tank, and margaritas served during a drug-fuelled evening with a bevvy of naked beauties.
There are shots of a naked Kim's backside, and he's portrayed as a man deeply scarred by never winning his father's approval and determined to show the world how tough he can be.
Eventually even Skylark learns the truth about the regime's brutality, and he sets out to take down Kim by exposing him as a liar during his live interview.
"Kim must die -- that's the American way," says Skylark, as the plot is hatched.
Much has been made of earlier trailers that showed Kim's head exploding in a bloody climax, but in the online version that was obscured as he was instead consumed in a ball of missile fire.
"It has always been Sony's intention to have a national platform on which to release this film," said Sony Entertainment chairman Michael Lynton said in a statement.
"It was essential for our studio to release this movie, especially given the assault upon our business and our employees by those who wanted to stop free speech."
"Merry X-mas MERICA!!!! THE INTERVIEW IS LIVE!!!!!!!!! Watch it," Franco said in a message on his Twitter account.
Rogen apologized to Canadians that it was not yet available for download in his native Canada "BUT will be soon. We are working on it," he promised.
"I need to say that a comedy is best viewed in a theater full of people so if you can, I'd watch it like that. Or call some friends over," Rogen said in a separate Tweet.
Russell Brand, who shares the same vein of humor, rejoiced on Twitter "saying celebrate freedom and Christmas by watching The Interview."
"Do not attempt to assassinate anyone -- it's pretend," he added.
Source : Sapa-AFP /gf
Date : 24 Dec 2014 23:51
dualmeister
Honorary Master
Shouldnt you thank Korea?
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Hamish McPanji
Honorary Master
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
How come we haven't heard anything from the hackers since then?