It’s been brewing for several weeks now, but it’s now official: Sony has decided to shelve “The Interview” from Christmas theatrical release.

The film had been the center of a firestorm Sony has weathered in recent weeks; a hacking group known as the Guardians of Peace has taken control of the studio’s email accounts, releasing private correspondence that has revealed some harsh truths about how Sony does business. The hack has proven to be extremely thorough and the hackers promise a “Christmas gift,” not to mention threats to terrorize movie theaters who would show “The Interview.” The hackers invoked the tragedy of September 11 in their threats, which has led to several major theater chains, including Regal Entertainment, Cinemark, Cineplex Entertainment, AMC Entertainment and Carmike Cinemas to decide against showing the film.

Sony finally made the cancellation announcement official Wednesday, as reported by Deadline. The statement includes Sony’s disappointment and sadness at the hack and what they call an attempt to “destroy our spirit and our morale.”

“Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like,” part of the statement reads. “We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process to damage our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”

Photo credit: Ed Araquel/CTMG