You can block the release of a major motion picture using tools you probably have around the house. Just
- Hack into the computers of the studio who made the picture. It’s easy. They don’t do much to prevent it.
- Release some embarrassing information about the studio and its execs. There will be plenty of it. And you can get your very own copies of movies that haven’t even been released!
- Send some vaguely worded threats in broken English.
And before you can say “Pink Flamingos” the movie will be withdrawn!
I’m guessing this is a pretty good time to be a sales rep for a company selling security solutions and a pretty bad time to be a studio exec. Under the circumstances I suspect that this will not turn out to be a loss that’s covered by insurance although it will probably be litigated for years. Which means it’s a pretty good time to be a lawyer who works for motion picture studios, too.
It certainly sets an intriguing precedent. It’s hard to think of a movie that’s been made over the period of the last half century that hasn’t offended somebody.
Update
You can even prevent movies from being made:
XCLUSIVE: The chilling effect of the Sony Pictures hack and terrorist threats against The Interview are reverberating. New Regency has scrapped another project that was to be set in North Korea. The untitled thriller, set up in October, was being developed by director Gore Verbinski as a star vehicle for Foxcatcher star Steve Carell. The paranoid thriller written by Steve Conrad was going to start production in March. Insiders tell me that under the current circumstances, it just makes no sense to move forward. The location won’t be transplanted. Fox declined to distribute it, per a spokesman.
