A live bat was released during a screening of The Batman in Austin, Texas due to a prank that forced theater management to suspend the film and try to remove the animal.
The Moviehouse & Eatery staff acted quickly on Friday’s screening as soon as they realized a viewer of the superhero blockbuster starring British actor Robert Pattinson had released a bat, local NBC affiliate KXAN reported.
Video of the incident showed the bat flying around the theater while the audience remained seated.
The theater staff made several attempts to remove the bat from the screening, but to no avail. Animal control officers were called.
“The local animal control department has been contacted immediately and they are monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of guests, employees and animals,” Heidi Deno, general manager of Moviehouse & Eatery, told KXAN.
The theater offered a refund, one attendee told KXAN, but most viewers chose to stay and watch the “bat and all” film.
There have been no reports of anyone being bitten or otherwise injured by a flying furry intruder. Less than 1% of bats in the wild have rabies, according to the Associated Press.
Deno said: “In order to prevent such a joke from happening again, we will add additional security and check all bags when a guest enters.”