Chicago film critic slams Sony for pulling "The Interview"

Richard Roeper has been a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 20 years, and called Wednesday "a sad day for Hollywood." Roeper joined Jeff Glor on CBSN with his reaction to Sony Pictures Entertainment's decision to scrap the upcoming release of the film "The Interview."

Sony was the victim of a massive cyber attack that leaked thousands of emails and other documents to the public. The U.S. government is preparing to blame North Korea for the attack, which was thought to be in retaliation for "The Interview," which Sony produced. The film centers around an assassination attempt of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

The hackers released threats against screenings of the movie on Tuesday, writing "The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001."

Before Sony announced that it was pulling the release, many major theater chains said they would not show the film on their screens.

According to Roeper, the cancellation of the release is unprecedented in the industry. "In the history of cinema, this has never happened, where a major studio has said we're not going to show a movie out of concern for the safety for the movie-goers," Roeper said.

Audiences will likely be able to see the movie, although not in theaters. Roeper predicts it might be released on a home video platform, like a video on demand service. And all of the buzz surrounding the film might drive viewership.

"I wouldn't be surprised if more people end up seeing it just because of all this madness than would have gone to the movies on Christmas day to see it," Roeper said.