Sony hacking: The Interview could be released on YouTube, says chief executive Michael Lynton

Lynton said the entertainment company had 'not given in'

Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton (Getty)

Sony still plans to release its beleaguered film The Interview, following a cyber attack believed to have been carried out by North Korea – and has said YouTube is a potential platform.

Days after the comedy’s Christmas release was cancelled, Sony Pictures Entertainment chief executive Michael Lynton said the company had not "caved" to the hackers and was committed to putting the movie in the public domain.

"We have not given in. And we have not backed down. We have always had every desire to have the American public see this movie," he told CNN.

Asked whether Sony would consider releasing the film on YouTube, as had been suggested by Mitt Romney, Lynton said: "That’s certainly an option and that’s certainly one thing we will consider."

Lynton had previously said Sony had "no further" release plans for the movie, based on the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un and starring James Franco and Seth Rogen.

His latest remarks came after US President Barack Obama criticised the decision to can the film, describing it as a "mistake".

In response Lynton said that "the President, the press and the public are mistaken as to what happened".

He added: "We do not own movie theatres. We cannot determine whether or not a movie will be played in movie theatres."

Major cinema chains had refused to screen The Interview, after hackers threatened to target theatres in a 9/11 style attack.

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Lynton said Sony had "no alternative" but to withdraw the film in the circumstances and that it was not correct to call it a mistake.

An angry Pyongyang has denied the accusations and called for a joint investigation with the US into the hacking. Over the weekend the Hermit Kingdom accused Obama of "recklessly" spreading rumours and warned of strikes against the White House, Pentagon and "the whole US mainland, that cesspool of terrorism."