Well they didn’t do it. The major theater chains pulled out. It’s hard to release a movie when the top 5 chains won’t show it.
To be fair, the chains only stated they were delaying showing the movie in their theaters. Christmas Day is a big movie day for theaters, and if anything DID happen, the John Edwards contingent would bankrupt them.
Sony could have continued the release, and likely would have had a fair opening weekend, and once nothing happened, a very very good second week (whereupon it would flop out of theaters, because, well, it is a brain dead movie...)