Despite Colo. Tragedy, Minn. Moviegoers Still Seeing 'Dark Knight Rises'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – "The Dark Knight Rises" had all the expectations of a summer blockbuster: strong reviews, midnight showings and fans who dressed up as heroes and villains for the occasion.
But no one expected a deadly shooting at a Colorado theater that would cast a cloud over screenings across the country. For some moviegoers, it was enough to make them rethink an opening day screening.
"I understand maybe why people would have reservations," said one moviegoer Friday at the Regal Theater in Brooklyn Center.
Most moviegoers WCCO-TV spoke with, however, said they still plan to see the trilogy finale.
"These people base their tactics off of fear," one moviegoer said. "And if you give into that fear, they win."
Still, theaters are taking safety into consideration. Many, including all AMC theaters, are ramping up security. Many theaters are also banning masks, fake weapons and costumes that might be considered offensive.
In other countries, the response was different. The movie's premier in Paris was canceled, for instance.
"It's just so startling scary that a person has, in my opinion, great difficulty in backing away from it," said Dr. Charles Schulz, a psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota.
At the moment, the big questions are: (1) why? And (2) were there warning signs?
"We all think there must … have been some warning signs," Schulz said. "There are all sorts of behaviors that happen that seem to come out the blue."
But he says picking up on warning signs is not easy, and some can even be misleading.
"It's pretty hard to say: This person is having these symptoms, then they are going to do this," he said.
