Major cinema chains just pulled 'The Interview' and it gets worse

Regal Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, AMC Entertainment, Cineplex and others have decided to remove 'The Interview' following threats made against movie goers by the Sony hackers.

This follows the cancelation of the film's New York premiere on Thursday along with media appearances from Seth Rogen and James Franco.

The sudden development comes after Sony's decision to allow chains to pull 'The Interview' at their discretion. This was then followed a few hours later by a majority of major cinema owners deciding to suspend screenings given the threat made by the hackers against them directly.

With the film now likely to disappear from theaters across the U.S., it is likely that smaller theater owners will follow others in removing the title which will now be unavailable at America's biggest theaters.

The scale of the hack has caused millions of dollars in losses for Sony with some estimating the damage could top $100 million. In addition, the loss of box office revenue and a disrupted marketing campaign will cost millions in further damages. However, the film could still be released exclusively on VOD, which would be the first wide release of its kind to have an all-digital theatrical on demand distribution.

It's clear that the threat of violence against movie theaters has been a decisive factor in this decision despite the Department for Homeland Security stating there is no perceived intelligence of a plot. However, following the tragedy at the 'Dark Knight Rises' premiere, chains don't want to risk being liable for prosecution when there is a known threat against them.