DPRK slams movie, unlikely to retaliate

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea says it likely will have no "physical reaction", just condemnation, to the release of the film The Interview, which depicts the fictional assassination of top leader Kim Jong-un.

A DPRK diplomat to the United Nations said his country opposes the film's release online and in over 300 US theaters this week.

The film was briefly shelved after a devastating hacking attack on Sony Pictures that the United States has blamed on the DPRK.

But diplomat Kim Song said his country has no connection to the hacking and can prove it. He also expressed frustration that the United States refused the DPRK's offer of a joint investigation.

Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton said, "It has always been Sony's intention to have a national platform on which to release this film.

"We chose the path of digital distribution first so as to reach as many people as possible on opening day, and we continue to seek other partners and platforms to further expand the release."

It was unclear whether the company will recoup the $40 million cost of the film and the millions more spent on marketing by deciding to release it online.

On vacation in Hawaii, US President Barack Obama said he was "glad it's being released".

Although the circumstances surrounding the movie are unprecedented, experts say the release will be closely watched to see how theater chains react to a simultaneous debut. It's a challenge to the long-standing practice of "windowing" - opening a movie first in theaters to maximize box-office revenue before making the movie available in other formats.

"I can't say that this is the future," said Jeff Bock, an analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "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."

AP - AFP

(China Daily 12/26/2014 page11)