Dark Knight Rises Shooting Aftermath

It’s difficult to know how to react after such a senseless horrific act as that in Aurora Colorado.  Nothing can compare to the loss of lives and the physical and emotional suffering that those in the theatre were forced to endure. Still, an act such as this has huge repercussions .

The film had some disturbing stories circulating before the shooting. Marahall Fine, who hasbeen a film critic for close to fifty years, serves as chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle, and has written for over a dozen respected publications, might well go down in film history as the one who gave “The Dark Knight Rises” its first bad review.  Not long after, his website crashed. He was assaulted with cruel, savage and profane comments directed towards Rotten Tomatoes (a website that lists film reviews) but primarily at him.  He reportedly received a number of death threats. Not that this in anyway compares to the massacre in Colorado, but it does illustrate how highly pitched the furor and emotions that surround this type of film can be.

So how do a studio and the film industry as a whole react to such a devestating event? Hollywood studios joined forces, agreeing to hold off on releasing their box-office reporting until Monday, due to the shootings. Theaters around the country will be beefing up security this weekend, with police in NYC and elsewhere promising increased security at screenings.  AMC Theaters, the country’s second-largest movie chain released a statement saying it would not allow costumed fans or face-covered masks into its theaters.

Warner Bros. rushed to react to the tragedy, immediately canceling a Friday night premiere in Paris. It also canceled the other red-carpet events that had been scheduled over the weekend in Mexico City and Tokyo. The Finnish film industry canceled much of its marketing campaign for “The Dark Knight Rises” because of the shootings.

Warner Brothers also pulled trailers from its upcoming film “Gangster Squad” from theaters. The trailer of the film, which stars Sean Penn and Ryan Gosling, eerily includes a scene of mobsters firing into a crowded movie theater from behind the screen.

The studio rushed to react to the tragedy. Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., said he had been up since 4 a.m. making calls. “Everybody is very saddened by the event. We were obviously looking for a very happy occasion for us,” Fellman said. “It’s a difficult way to begin. We’re just more concerned now with the well-being of those that were injured, of course.” The studio had no further comment on whether screenings might be canceled or precautions taken.

According to Variety’s Josh Dickey, the studio is not considering pulling screenings.  Nor should they.  Not because of the financial investment, or for business concerns, but for the public.  It’s important to forge on and live our lives. It will help to normalize things and allow the healing process to begin.

This was a savage senseless act and one that impacts us all.  How this will affect the movie going experience from here on in, is hard to know.  Warner Brothers can take the lead in helping to facilitate communication during this time.  It needs to show that dealing with the issues surrounding this tragedy is the primary concern, and that the box-office and ticket sales come in a distant second.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

“Christian Bale visits with a shooting victim at the Medical Center of Aurora on Tuesday, July 24.” Photo. Los Angeles Times. 24 July 2012. 24 July 2012. <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-christian-bale-visits-aurora-victims,0,5413315.story&gt;