Cineplex and Rainbow theatres won’t be showing The Interview on release day after threats of ‘9/11’-like attacks

Canadian movie exhibitors Cineplex, Landmark Cinemas and Rainbow Cinemas & Magic Lantern Theatres have pulled showtimes for The Interview from their websites. The decision comes a day after Guardians of Peace (GOP) – the alleged group behind the Sony hack – threatened terrorist attacks on any theatre that shows the film.

“We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places The Interview be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to,” the group wrote in a message on a file-sharing website. “Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11^th of September 2001.”

Cineplex operates the lion’s share of movie theatres in Canada, with more than 75% of the market share. Landmark is the country’s second-largest exhibitor, with 48 theatres across the country. Rainbow Cinemas operates a handful of cinemas in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

“First, foremost and always the safety of our staff and our guests is what matters most,” said a statement from Landmark Cinemas. “Delaying the showing of The Interview from its scheduled release on Christmas Day, although unfortunate, is the right thing to do.” The statement was co-signed by Neil Campbell, Landmark’s CEO, and Fran Holy, Landmark’s vice-president of marketing and communications.

“The decision was made by our head office in Edmonton,” Logan Sexsmith, assistant manager of Rainbow Cinemas Market Square in Toronto, wrote in an email to the Post. “I was not present for the conversations that led to the film being pulled from our cinemas.”

The terrorist attack threats are an escalation from the hacking of Sony Pictures last month. The GOP has been releasing information from the hacks — including personal emails, copies of unreleased movies and employees’ personal information — across the web.

The Interview, which is set to be released Christmas Day from Sony, depicts Seth Rogen and James Franco’s mission to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Although Sony continues to stand by its decision to release the movie, they gave theatres the option to pull the movie. The Hollywood Reporter reports that top U.S. theatre chains have also pulled the film, including Regal, AMC and Cinemark.

After the threats were made Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said there were “no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theatres.”

The New York premiere of the film was cancelled Tuesday following the threats.