The tragic events in Aurora, Colorado last Friday could prompt a major change in cinema security, according to experts. In moves that could mirror the changes to airport security after 9/11 cinemagoers could find their experience changing significantly.
Cinemas have already upped security around screenings of 'The Dark Knight Rises', to avoid any copycat attacks and to reassure movie fans in the wake of the shootings which killed 12 people.
According to FoxNews, Gene Grabowski of Levick Strategic Communications, a crisis management firm, said: “Parents are very concerned that their children are being frightened by news reports and so business will likely drop of for a while,” adding: “Many theaters, especially those showing movies with violence, will be equipped with metal detectors. The major theater chains will certainly enforce these restrictions across the country in order to protect against copycat incidents and to protect against lawsuits.”
Jami Philbrick, the managing editor of movie news site iamRogue.com told FoxNews: “It’s not unlike the ramped-up security in schools across the country after Columbine, and the increase of security at airports after 9/11. It’s just what needs to be done right now.”
Police and cinema firms may also be worried that the shootings have exposed cinemas as a soft target for terrorists wanting to gain publicity through mass murder, as screenings did not have the kind of security that surrounds sports events or concerts for example.
Yet moviegoers will also be worried that the extra security could push ticket prices up and change the cinematic experience to a more regimented one. AMC, one of America's leading cinema chains, has already banned costumes from screenings of 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
Most likely affected will be blockbusters containing violence, however with cinema attendance under pressure from the internet and TV on demand, it's probably the last thing the movie industry needed.
PHOTOS: 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
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