A moviegoer “tried to act out” at an Austin theater over the weekend by releasing a live bat during a screening of the new Batman movie, with the ensuing pandemonium captured on video posted to social media.
The staff was forced to pause the film during its Friday premiere after reports of a bat flying around the theater.
In a short video posted on Twitter On Saturday, patrons can be seen excitedly watching the animal as it repeatedly flies from one end of the theater to the other, probably looking for a way out.
In another, theater employees are heard telling the audience how they plan to lure a wild animal in order to capture and lead it out of the building.
“We’re going to use a projector to turn off that light (movie screen), and I’m going to turn off all of that light and try to get it into that lighted area (exit),” an employee tells guests.
“If you don’t feel comfortable being in the dark with a bat, please get out now,” the theater worker says, as the crowd nervously chuckles in response.
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Pictured, a live bat, circled in red, flies around a Texas theater during the Batman premiere this weekend.
The bat circled in red was released as part of a “prank” according to authorities. No one was injured in the incident
Theater staff (pictured) speak to moviegoers after the release of a live bat. “If you don’t feel comfortable being in the dark with a bat, please get out now,” one worker said.
A moviegoer who filmed the wild incident, identified as Vincent Genovese on Twitter, said that while staff made several attempts to remove the bat from the theater, they were ultimately unsuccessful.
This was announced by the representative of the cinema Cinépolis. CBS Austin that Bat was a guest release at the Moviehouse & Eatery in northwest Austin.
“Local Animal Control has been contacted immediately and they are monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of guests, employees and animals,” spokeswoman Anneliese Holyoke told the publication.
“To ensure that such pranks do not happen again, we have added additional security measures and check all bags at the entrance of the guest.”
Although the staff (above) made several attempts to remove the bat from the theatre, they were ultimately unsuccessful.
The Moviehouse & Eatery in northwest Austin (pictured), where the bat “prank” took place.
While the theater offered full refunds to moviegoers, CBS Austin reported that the majority of the audience chose to stay in the theater and finish watching the movie, even as the bat continued to fly across the darkened room.
It is still unclear who released the animal, and as of Monday, no arrests or charges have been announced by authorities.
Despite minor hiccups, The Batman was the highest-grossing film this weekend, earning $128.5 million at the box office.
The news about the role of Robert Pattinson in the title role was reported by Hollywood Reporterwho also noted that the film’s nearly three-hour running time did not put viewers off.
It’s also the second pandemic-era film to cross the $100 million mark in a single weekend, a feat first achieved by Spider-Man: No Way Home, which opened last December with a historic $260 million.
Wrap-up: Batman was the highest-grossing movie of the weekend, earning $128.5 million at the box office.
Storyline: Batman focuses on and follows the titular superhero as he attempts to fight corruption in Gotham City by fighting the Riddler.
Things are going well: Batman grossed a healthy $21.6 million during Thursday’s previews and fan shows, which also took place earlier in the weekend.
Batman follows the titular superhero and tries to fight corruption in Gotham City, as well as the legendary comic book villain The Riddler.
In addition to Pattinson, the film also features Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano and Colin Farrell.
Audience figures showed that over the weekend, up to 65 percent of the film’s viewers were male, as well as youth, with people aged 18 to 34 coming in droves, accounting for 60 percent of the total attendance.