Theaters drop ‘The Interview’ after threat

Theaters are deciding not to show a new comedy film, after hackers threatened violence this week.

Thursday’s New York premiere of the Seth Rogen and James Franco movie “The Interview” has reportedly also been scrapped.

{mosads}Carmike Cinemas — the nation’s fourth largest cinema chain with 278 theaters and more than 2,900 screens in 41 states — is also pulling the plug, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. In making its decision, Carmike is becoming the first major theater chain to cancel planned showings of the movie over fears of possible violence.

The actions come amid growing fallout from a massive hack at the film’s production company, Sony Pictures, that has forced Rogen and Franco to cancel planned promotional appearances.

On Tuesday, the hacker group going by the name of Guardians of Peace threatened violence against theaters that show the movie, telling them to “remember the 11th of September 2001.”

“The world will be full of fear,” the group said in a message.

The hacking group is suspected to be linked to North Korea, which has praised the high-profile cyberattacks against Sony and called the movie an “act of war” over its comedic portrayal of a fictional assassination attempt against Kim Jong-un, the rogue nation’s leader. While North Korea has denied involvement with the hack, it has nonetheless commended the action as a “righteous deed.”

After Tuesday’s threat, the Department of Homeland Security said that it has “no credible intelligence” about an active plot against movie theaters, but maintained that it would be on the lookout. Sony has given theaters permission not to show the film.