Azernews.Az

By Bloomberg

“The Interview,” the assassination comedy that may have inspired a cyber-attack on Sony Pictures, will be released in the U.K. next month, Empire Magazine said.

The film will be available only in cinemas starting Feb. 6, the entertainment magazine said in a Twitter posting, citing comments from the company. Sony Pictures, a unit of Tokyo-based Sony Corp., didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Plans to play “The Interview” in theaters were initially withdrawn last month after hackers infiltrated Sony’s computer systems and threatened to carry out violent attacks, causing major cinema chains to balk. Sony Pictures reversed its decision after critics, including U.S. President Barack Obama, condemned the move. The movie was released in U.S. cinemas later in December.

A representative for U.K. theater chain Vue Cinemas Ltd. said no decision has been made about showing the film. Spokesmen for rival chains Cineworld Group Plc and Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The film, about a fictional attempt to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has generated more than $31 million in online sales after Sony released it through platforms such as Google Inc.’s Play and YouTube.

Sony has never stopped “trying to secure a broad release” of the film, Sony Pictures Chief Executive Officer Michael Lynton said in a memo to staff on Tuesday. The studio spent about $80 million to make and market the comedy, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, SNL Kagan researcher Wade Holden estimates.