The Interview premiere cancelled in New York after Sony hackers issue 9/11 style threat

Sony Pictures hackers have caused James Franco and Seth Rogan film The Interview to cancel its New York premier after issuing a 9/11-style threat.

The hackers, who illegally accessed Sony's computer system last month, warned Americans to "Remember the 11th of September 2001" and to stay away from cinemas showing the Sony Pictures movie about about the assassination of North Korean President Kim Jong-Un.

Sony did not pull the movie from screens but said it would not object if they decided to cancel showings, Reuters reported.

New York's Landmark Sunshine Cinema has confirmed that Thursday's premiere would not go ahead following the sinister email.

An official at the US Department of Homeland Security said investigations had found nothing to substantiate the threat.

"At this time there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theatres within the United States," an official said.

However, the New York and Los Angeles police departments are taking the threat seriously.

The cancellation follows the leaking of Franco and Rogan's salaries for working on the film.

Meanwhile, the North Korean government denounced the film as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism" and an "act of war".