10 Movies That Caused A Public Backlash

Whoever decided that releasing a film making fun of a real life and still living dictator should be either commended for their bravery or fired for their stupidity.

2014's The Interview starred Seth Rogen and James Franco as a media duo who are recruited to assassinate Kim Jong-un, the real-life leader of North Korea, under the premise of the interview that they have managed to arrange.

While no one is going to accuse the film of being overly clever, there are laughs to be had here as long as you know what you're getting. It received mixed reviews, as most efforts with this style of humour do, but the real story was the issues that the film caused.

The North Korean government took issue, not with Sony but with the US government itself over the film, causing the release to be pushed back. In addition, there was a hack on Sony's systems which was alleged to have been carried out by affiliates of the North Korean government and real threats of terrorist attacks on any cinemas that screened the film.

Sony opted for an almost entirely digital based distribution off the back of these threats and the movie still made money regardless.