Las Vegas — Sony Pictures announced plans for an animated Spider-Man feature from the Lego Movie writing/directing team of Christopher Miller and Phil Lord on Wednesday at CinemaCon. But the beleaguered studio failed to address the elephant in the room for the audience of theatre owners at the annual conference: The Interview.
In December, amid the hack on Sony and perceived terrorist threats, the major theater chains decided not to show The Interview in their theatres. In a statement, Regal Entertainment Group referenced the "wavering support" of Sony in Regal's decision not to show the film. Ultimately, Sony orchestrated a day-and-date release for the film, and it maintained the position that exhibition of the film was the sole decision of the theatre owners.