Last Sunday around 7:20 PM, two 23-year-old men were arrested for causing a disturbance and smoking while watching the new Joker movie, according to the Chicago Tribune.
What We Know:
- The Joker movie is made as a character study of a man’s descent into madness based on the Joker lore. Joker grossed $13.3 million at the Thursday box office, breaking the record for an October preview set by Venom last year, according to Deadline.
- This incident took place inside the AMC River East at 322 East Illinois Street, in Streeterville. The police said no one was injured and charges are pending for the men.
We are here to make sure everyone is safe and enjoys all and any movie experiences this weekend. #CPDMediaCar pic.twitter.com/HxiTvBzgMF
— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) October 4, 2019
- This isn’t the first time a movie release has caused some concern for safety. In 2012, a mass shooting left 12 people dead with multiple injured at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater on the opening night of The Dark Knight Rises.
- Critics of Joker argue that the movie incites people to commit acts of violence and that it can lead mentally ill people to want to do things in the real world. Free speech activists argue that the film actually is a force for good, arguing how it opens up conversations about mental illness care, and ponders if we do things in our lives that could lead someone to become a Joker.
As a precaution, police cars were sent to theaters to stop any possible violence that could occur at showings this weekend.
