Fear, intimidation and threats of violence from North Korean cyberterrorists, Guardians of the Peace (GOP), have forced Sony to pull the plug on the release of James Franco and Seth Rogen's new film, The Interview. 

US authorities have concluded that the North Korean government was "centrally involved" in the recent attacks.

The comedy about an assassination attempt on North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's life was scheduled to be released in the United States on December 25.

Major cinema chains in Australia, Hoyts and Event cinema's are awaiting advice from Sony Pictures Australia on a distribution date. They would not comment on whether they were concerned for the safety of their patrons in the wake of the threats. 

A spokeswoman for Sony Pictures Releasing in Australia said they would advise on the local release "as soon as we have any news to share".

The Interview is not the only film to have been affected by the Sony hackers. Production on Steve Carell's new film about North Korea, Pyongyang, has also been halted.

Carell posted on Twitter that it was a "Sad day for creative expression #feareatsthesoul".

Director Judd Apatow, actor Rob Lowe and other Hollywood identities are outraged Sony has bowed to pressure from hackers and pulled The Interview from cinemas.

US intelligence officers are investigating the possibility that the North Korean regime's elite cyber security unit, "Bureau 121" is behind the GOP. On Wednesday, a North Korean state TV news anchor praised the groups actions as a "righteous deed."

The North Korean government has continually denied any involvment in the acts of cyberterrorism.

"Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business," Sony wrote in a statement.

"Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like."

The decision comes after days of mounting pressure on Sony Pictures Entertainment from the GOP, which has unleashed a storm of controversy across Hollywood after leaking embarrassing emails from Sony and issued a threat to US cinemagoers.

"Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made," the group wrote.

"The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you'd better leave.)"

On Wednesday, Sony executives cancelled the New York premiere of the film and entered talks with the cinema chains around the US telling them that they would understand if they decided to cancel scheduled screenings.

Distribution executives for other studios where also concerned that tickets sales for other films would suffer as a result of audiences choosing not to go to the cinema.

Thousands of cinemas around the US subsequently pulled the film from their roster.

"We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public," a Sony spokesman said.

Celebrity shock

Celebrities have since taken to Twitter to express their concern and disbelief.

Rob Lowe tweeted: "Wow. Everyone caved. The hackers won. An utter and complete victory for them. Wow." He then compared Hollywood to Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister known for trying to appease Adolf Hitler. "Saw Sethrogen at JFK. Both of us have never seen or heard of anything like this. Hollywood has done Neville Chamberlain proud today."

Meanwhile Apatow has been extremely vocal about the escalating events surrounding The Interview. The writer/producer/director has known Seth Rogen and James Franco, who star in The Interview, since 1999. He was the one who discovered them, casting the pair in his TV series Freaks and Geeks.

Apatow tweeted that it was "disgraceful" that theatres pulled The Interview from screens. "This only guarantees that this movie will be seen by more people on Earth than it would have before. Legally or illegally all will see it," he wrote.

The man behind hits such as Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin also spoke to LA Times, saying it's "a dark future" if people suppress freedom of speech every time someone posts something online.He says you barely see any politically minded films - which were all the rage in the '70s - anymore.

"Comedians attack power and corruption and things that feel wrong. Seth picked a very valid target to make a hilariously funny movie," he says. "I've seen the movie. Its fantastic."

Apatow called The Interview was funny and daring. "Are we now living in a world where were not allowed to say that these are bad people? Are we not allowed to make a movie where ISIS is the bad guy now? That's been happening since Charlie Chaplin made The (Great) Dictator," he says. "There's so much political correctness that there's almost no villains left."

Despite the threats, US intelligence officials had consistently maintained that the hacking group posed no credible threat to cinemagoers.

Film critics and fans have called on Sony to release the film via video on demand in an effort to mitigate the threat to audiences and to triumph over the threat to free speech.

Sony has not confirmed if it plans to release the film through alternative channels. 

- with AAP and Garry Maddox 

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