[TEMPLEOS_DEV]

All of this is just a publicity stunt and you all fell for it.

Making a specific threat like this is completely out of line with the way the regime works. They work by brinkmanship; they learned in the 80s that they can't effectively use terrorism as they have a physical nexus.

[MrZongle2]

So, we must assume that Sony hacked themselves and leaked their internal emails and data to promote a Seth Rogan movie?

Genius!

/sarc

[TEMPLEOS_DEV]

I'm not saying that studio is the principal agent here. What I am saying is that it's probably not coming from Pyongyang.

[MrZongle2]

So who's benefiting from the "publicity stunt", if the hackers aren't North Korean?

[MichaelGG]

Sony? If you're hacked, might as well spin it into a good-vs-evil story, where the evil just happens to be part of a movie you're launching.

If Sony didn't have this cover story, then they'd have nothing with which they could distract people with.

[MrZongle2]

So....Sony issued a false threat supposedly from the hackers, or otherwise convinced all these movie theater chains to not run the movie?

I'm failing to see the beauty of this plan, or even how somebody with a room-temperature IQ could think this is a smart move even if the original Sony hack was legitimate (which I have no reason to disbelieve is the case).

[MichaelGG]

No, Sony just needs to hint about NK and let the media do the rest. The movie theatre threat is anonymous, right? So basically anyone else could just tag along for the ride.

And I'm not sure why it's stupid to think that a, from the looks of it, low-quality movie would not benefit from a "ban". Great hype for the movie, Sony might as well ride it. There's no upside for them to stand up and say "nope, we just have poor security and someone did it for the lulz".