Post by CMF Newsman on Jul 21, 2012 8:18:07 GMT -5
HOLLYWOOD, CA —The deadly rampage in Colorado shattered a fundamental appeal of movie going: a chance to escape the humdrum for a world of fantasy. Now, theater owners and the Warner Bros. studio must figure out whether "The Dark Knight Rises" can still be an entertaining diversion, not a reminder of a tragic mass shooting.
The shooting also raised the specter among moviegoers that they could become targets, leading theater owners and some police forces to step up security measures this weekend.
"It's horrifying what happened in Colorado and it makes me scared about copycats here," said Katie Gerber, 34, who had tickets for a Friday afternoon screening at the ArcLight in Hollywood. "I'm not nervous to go see the movie now, but it'll be hard not to think about it during the gun-fighting scenes."
"The Dark Knight Rises" was poised to become one of the summer's biggest box-office hits. The film took in $30.6 million at midnight screenings, the second-biggest midnight opening of all time, and box-office experts said the sequel could gross as much as $200 million in its first three days of release, a mark which only "The Avengers" has surpassed.
www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-0721-batman-theaters-20120721,0,208899.story
The shooting also raised the specter among moviegoers that they could become targets, leading theater owners and some police forces to step up security measures this weekend.
"It's horrifying what happened in Colorado and it makes me scared about copycats here," said Katie Gerber, 34, who had tickets for a Friday afternoon screening at the ArcLight in Hollywood. "I'm not nervous to go see the movie now, but it'll be hard not to think about it during the gun-fighting scenes."
"The Dark Knight Rises" was poised to become one of the summer's biggest box-office hits. The film took in $30.6 million at midnight screenings, the second-biggest midnight opening of all time, and box-office experts said the sequel could gross as much as $200 million in its first three days of release, a mark which only "The Avengers" has surpassed.
www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-0721-batman-theaters-20120721,0,208899.story