North Korea has vowed that America will face “a stern and merciless retaliation”; if the Kim Jong-un assassination comedy The Interview is allowed to play in theatres. And while Sony has yet to back down over the threat, they have pushed the film’s release date back by two months.
Originally scheduled to hit theatres Oct. 10, the movie will now open on Christmas Day.
Of course, it could be the promise of extra cash rather than the threat of military action that motivated Sony’s decision. Studios tend to reserve the holiday season for their biggest releases, and by pushing the movie back to Christmas, Sony seems to be confident that The Interview has what it takes to compete with Into the Woods, Paddington, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken.
