DISAPPOINTED: Most Americans disagree with Sony Pictures pulling the plug on the theatrical release of The Interview.
LOS ANGELES: Nearly half of Americans believe Sony Pictures made the wrong decision by cancelling the theatrical release of the comedy The Interview, the film that provoked a cyber attack on the studio, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released.
47% of respondents said they disagreed with Sony scrapping the film, after several movie theater chains chose not to screen the raunchy satire that depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Another 29% of those polled said they agreed with the decision to pull the film, which had been slated for a Christmas Day release, while 24% said they did not have an opinion.
The FBI has determined that the North Korean government is responsible for the devastating cyber attack that disabled the computer network on Sony Pictures Entertainment and exposed a trove of sensitive data and personal e-mail.
North Korea has denied it was to blame and has even called for a joint investigation, a suggestion Washington's UN envoy Samantha Powers has called "absurd."
The online poll, conducted from Dec 18-22, suggests that Americans mostly agree with President Barack Obama when he said Sony "made a mistake" by cancelling the release and bowing to the intimidation of the hackers. He expressed concerns over self-censorship in Hollywood.
Sony Pictures chief executive officer Michael Lynton responded by saying the Hollywood studio had no choice after the movie theatres pulled out of the release due to unspecified threats the hackers made against the theaters and audiences. He wants to release the film on an alternative platform, but no partners have come forward.
A majority of respondents, 63%, said they agree that North Korea is threat to the United States, while only 20% disagree.
In the wake of the Sony cyber attack, the most destructive on a private company on US soil, the poll showed that Americans are not overwhelmingly becoming more cautious about their e-mail or passwords.
38% said they are now more cautious about what they share on private e-mail, compared to 47% who are not. When it comes to changing passwords, 31% have done so since the Sony cyber attack became public four weeks ago, while 55% have not.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,246 Americans online and has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.2% points. — Reuters
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