There’s a big difference between not wasting more money marketing a film that there is no demand for, and just releasing for free a film that there is a demand for.
Was there a demand for this film last month? Or was it just the exploitation of “world events” that built up demand?
Since the filmmakers had been in dispute with the studio for awhile over the edit (tone down the exploding Kim Un head etc.) the studio was nervous long before the hacking story broke.