Screenings of controversial comedy The Interview have been cancelled by America’s fourth largest cinema chain.

The decision came hours after hackers, invoking the memory of the September 11 2001 terror attacks, issued ominous threats against film-goers and patrons.

Carmike Cinemas, which operates 278 cinemas in the US, is the first chain to pull the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

The stars of the film  James Franco and Seth Rogen
The stars of the film James Franco and Seth Rogen (Dan Steinberg/AP/Press Association Images)

The development followed threats by the hackers, calling themselves Guardians of Peace, over the film, which depicts an assassination attempt against North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

The data dump was what the hackers called the beginning of a “Christmas gift”. But GOP, as the group is known, included a message warning that people should stay away from places where The Interview will be shown, including an upcoming premiere.

Invoking 9/11, it urged people to leave their homes if located near cinemas showing the film.

The hackers also released a trove of data files including thousands of emails from the inbox of Sony Entertainment chief executive Michael Lynton.

In The Interview, Seth Rogen and James Franco star as television journalists involved in a CIA plot to assassinate Kim. Its New York premiere is set for tomorrow at Manhattan’s Landmark Sunshine and the film is expected to hit cinemas nationwide on Christmas Day. It premiered in Los Angeles last week.

Seth and James pulled out of all recent media appearances, cancelling a Buzzfeed Q and A and Seth’s planned guest spot on Late Night With Seth Meyers. The two stars did appear on Good Morning America and Seth guested on The Colbert Report.

The FBI said it was aware of the threats and “continues to work collaboratively with our partners to investigate this matter”. FBI director James Comey said last week that investigators were still trying to determine who was responsible for the hack.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck comments on the threats
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck,right, comments on the threats (Damian Dovarganes/AP/Press Association Images)

Speculation about a North Korean link to the Sony hacking has centred on the communist country’s angry denunciation of the film. Over the summer, North Korea warned that the film’s release would be an “act of war that we will never tolerate” and the US would face “merciless” retaliation.

The New York Police Department, after co-ordinating with the FBI and Sony, plans to beef up security at the Manhattan premiere.