Sonoma County theater owners split on 'The Interview' decision (w/video)

Sony Pictures’ abrupt announcement Wednesday to cancel its holiday release of the slapstick comedy “The Interview” after hackers threatened moviegoers with terrorist attacks quickly sent ripples across Sonoma County’s small and boutique movie theaters.

Theater owners appeared split on the decision - spurred by an earlier announcement by the major theater circuits of Regal Cinemas, AMC Entertainment and Cinemark to pull the movie, effectively squashing the film’s Dec. 25 release.

Local owners expressed relief that the movie release was canceled, noting that their patrons wouldn’t have to feel uneasy about seeing the film amid perceived safety threats. However, they said the movie’s star cast would have drawn large crowds on Christmas Day.

“It is pretty upsetting that hackers can make these threats, and then the film is canceled because of them,” said Ryan Hecht, who owns The Clover Theater in Cloverdale with his wife, Kathryn. Hecht said the decision to cancel the movie introduces threats to artistic expression and freedom of speech.

“On one side, it falls into the area of artistic and comedic point of view,” Hecht said. “But on the other hand, as a business owner, of course we didn’t want to make our customers uncomfortable or put anyone in danger.”

Hackers, calling themselves Guardians of Peace, on Tuesday referenced the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in an ominous warning of violence for “Interview” moviegoers. Soon after, Sony offered theaters the option of bowing out, and released a statement Wednesday that read, in part, “We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie.”

The seriousness of the threat is unclear. The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday there was “no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters,” but noted it was still analyzing messages from the group.

The FBI is investigating the identity of the hackers, and American officials have reportedly concluded that North Korea, which has issued warnings over the film, is centrally involved. The comedy depicts a TV host (James Franco) and producer (Seth Rogen) tasked by the CIA to assassinate North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.

In Sonoma County, The Clover Theater, as well as Boulevard 14 Cinemas in Petaluma and Sonoma 9 Cinemas in Sonoma, had planned Christmas Day showtimes. Owners said the cancellation will hurt their bottom line.

“This was going to be our big Christmas Day movie,” Hecht said. “It’s definitely going to hurt us financially.”

Dave Corkill, owner of Cinema West, which has 10 movie houses in California including theaters in Petaluma and Sonoma, said he was counting on ticket revenue, but concluded that he had concerns about the movie.

“We thought it was completely inappropriate, but we’re in the business of paying our bills,” Corkill said. “This movie created so much controversy, so pulling the picture took the pressure off of us to make that decision of whether or not to cancel our showtimes.”

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com.