Barack Obama On Sony’s Movie ‘The Interview’: ‘I Think They Made A Mistake’; US President Says Film Company Stayed Its Ground; Sony Exec Insists It Hasn’t Backed Down, Will Release It After Christmas

Barack Obama speaks out on Sony's movie "The Interview," says the company made a mistake in scrapping it.

US President Barack Obama comments on Sony's movie "The Interview"; in a year-end press conference, he expressed his disapproval and wished Sony talked to him before deciding to scrap the satire film.

Sony recently pulled the plug on "The Interview," a James Franco and Seth Rogen satire which depicts North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an assassination attempt. Major theater chains in the US withdrew support and cancelled screenings over the weekend, and Sony has announced it won't release the movie in any format.

Obama on Sony's movie "The Interview," and the decision the company made:

"Sony's a corporation. It suffered significant damage. There were threats against some of its employees. I am sympathetic to the concerns that they faced. Having said all that, yes, I think they made a mistake." (nbcnews.com)

Obama stressed Sony shouldn't back down on threats, which creates a pattern and comes across as intimidated.

"I would have told them 'Do not get into a pattern in which you're intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks.' That's not who we are. That's not what America's about."

Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton immediately clarified the company's stance after Obama's statements, in a televised interview with CNN.

"We definitely spoke to a senior adviser in the White House to talk about the situation." (usatoday.com)

"Let us be clear - the only decision that we have made with respect to release of the film was not to release it on Christmas Day in theaters, after the theater owners declined to show it. Without theaters, we could not release it in the theaters on Christmas Day."

"After that decision, we immediately began actively surveying alternatives to enable us to release the movie on a different platform. It is still our hope that anyone who wants to see this movie will get the opportunity to do so."

Obama's take on Sony's movie "The Interview" is the latest update on the Sony hacks of November 24, which escalated when a message came out threatening violence against cinemas screening the film.