Stupid? Yes. For making the movie in the first place.
Coward? No. They didn’t cancel the theaters did. But one real life attack and they would be in endless lawsuits from smarmy individuals who knew the risks but blame Sony anyway.
Problem nobody is addressing: if they showed The Interview anyway, and there WAS an attack (whether coordinated assault or an idiot with a negligent discharge) at any time (opening day or years hence) at any showing (major gala or obscure arthouse screening), the studio would be sued & humiliated into oblivion.
Here is my question-- what price would be paid by per perpetrators? Care to sue North Korea? Good luck with that. A better answer is to blow their punk-ass navy out of the water as a demonstration of our resolve. But that risks bringing on a general war that we are not ready for.
No. The theaters did the important cancellation. All Sony did was acknowledged that they didn’t have anyplace to show their movie.
It wasn’t Sony but MGM caved to the Chinese when they made the awful Red Dawn reboot. The Chinese invaders were all CGI changed to North Koreans. I do recall a big stink in the North Korean Peoples News Agency.