Social mentions of 'The Interview' soar online after Sony pulls movie release

By RYAN GORMAN

Online chatter about "The Interview" shot up after Sony Entertainment decided against releasing the controversial movie.

The comedy, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, was pulled after hackers believed to have ties to the North Korean government infiltrated the movie studio, released troves of data and threatened terror attacks.

The shock move came shortly after the five largest American movie theater chains announced they would not show the movie, which satirizes a brutal death for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Online reaction was swift and mostly brutal.

Most people denounced the decision, including several big name celebrities.

There have been more than 730,000 mentions of either #TheInterview or "The Interview" in the past 24-hours alone, according to Twitter.

Mitt Romney's plea to make the film available for free online and urge people who watch it to donate $5 for Ebola relief saw several thousand retweets.

So did Judd Apatow and Rogen's tweets denouncing the move. Apatow directed the film.

Sony has not said what the movie's ultimate fate will be, but Paramount quickly moved to put an end to theaters planning to run showings of "Team America: World Peace."

The stop-motion movie satirizing American attempts at intervention around the world was released in 2004. It pokes fun at Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, but does not depict the dictator's death.