Seth Rogen thanks Amy Pascal for making "The Interview"

Seth Rogen kicked off the premiere of his comedy "The Interview" by thanking Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal for having the courage "to make this movie."

Rogen addressed the audience Thursday before the packed screening in downtown Los Angeles.

The film about an assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has taken center stage in the wake of the cyber attack on Sony. Some have speculated that North Korea was behind the attack in retaliation for the upcoming movie.

North Korea expressed in June that if the U.S. government doesn't block the movie's release, it will face "stern" and "merciless" retaliation, an unidentified spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said. He didn't mention the movie by name but was clearly referring to "The Interview."

The film's release would be considered an "act of war that we will never tolerate," he said.

Sony prohibited interviews at the premiere and postponed a press junket for "Wedding Ringer" scheduled Saturday. The comedy stars Kevin Hart, who fired back Thursday on Instagram after being called a "whore" in a leaked Sony email.

Pascal apologized Thursday for other leaked emails containing racially offensive jokes about President Barack Obama.

"The Interview," co-starring James Franco, hits theaters Dec. 25.