Huntington Beach Theater Closes Following Credible Threat on 'Joker' Opening Night | THR News - video Dailymotion

A Huntington Beach, California, theater showing 'Joker' closed Thursday after the venue received what police believed to be a credible threat.

Transcript

00:00A Southern California theater that was screening Todd Phillips' Joker closed its

00:04venue on Thursday night after receiving what police believe to be a credible threat.

00:09The Huntington Beach Police Department responded to a possible threat in response

00:13to the opening of the R-rated film starring Joaquin Phoenix at the Century Theater

00:17in the Bella Terra Shopping Center. The threat was deemed credible enough that as

00:21a precaution, the theater canceled the final two showings of the movie. After an

00:25investigation, police determined the theater could safely reopen and resume

00:29normal operations on Friday. However, the police department will provide patrols at

00:34Century Theater for the remainder of the opening weekend. The FBI also spoke to

00:38The Hollywood Reporter saying they too are monitoring the situation.

00:42Theaters across the country have been on high alert ahead of Joker's opening weekend

00:46in the wake of public unease surrounding the dark Warner Bros. film and its display of

00:50violence, at times gun violence, which some have called brutal and jarring. That in

00:55conjunction with the film's indirect connection to the Aurora mass shooting that took place

00:58seven years ago during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises have raised concerns

01:03for many. Police and law enforcement, including the LAPD and NYPD, have been taking

01:08extra precautions for the film's release by deploying officers to theaters around their

01:12respective cities. Certain venues themselves have even put new rules in place, such as

01:16no costumes and bag checks. Joker dropped at the U.S. box office on Thursday night, debuting to

01:22$13.3 million. For more updates to this story, head to THR.com. For The Hollywood Reporter News,

01:28I'm Meha Joy.