The New York premiere of "The Interview", a Sony Pictures comedy about the assassination of North Korean President Kim Jong-Un, has been canceled after threats from a hacking group. The hackers, who said they were also responsible for seizing control of Sony's computer system last month, on Tuesday warned people to stay away from cinemas showing the film starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, and reminded moviegoers of the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks on the United States in 2001.

"We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time," the hackers wrote.

"(If your house is nearby, you'd better leave.)"

Reuters earlier reported that Sony executives had told theater owners it would not pull the film but added they would not object if they decided to cancel screenings.

The North Korean government has denounced the film as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war" in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

U.S. security agencies are investigating a hacking group that carried out the cyber attack in November that severely damaged the movie studio's network and published damaging internal emails, unreleased films and employee data online. The group published what appeared to be more internal emails on Tuesday.

Sony has also been also sued by self-described former employees who accuse Sony of failing to properly protect their personal data.