Sony Pictures placed the blame on movie theaters for “The Interview” being pulled.
The new statement comes on the heels of President Barack Obama blasting the studio for their decision to pull the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy after hackers issued a threat of physical violence against movie theaters that showed the film.
Obama held a press conference on Friday, just hours after the FBI named North Korea responsible for the hacking of and brutal threats against Sony.
“I think they made a mistake,” Obama told the nation from the White House, referring to Sony’s actions in pulling “The Interview” in the face of the crippling cyberattack.
“We cannot have a society in which some dictator in some place can start imposing censorship here in the U.S,” he continued in his remarks. “If somebody can intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical comedy, imagine what they’ll do when they see a documentary or political film they don’t like?
“That’s not what we are, that’s not what America’s about. I’m sympathetic that some private company was worried about liabilities. I wish they’d spoken to me first. Do not get into a pattern in which we’re intimidated by these kind of criminal attacks,” he emphasized.