Two movie theaters in Chihuahua were robbed during The Dark Knight Rises premiere
July 31, 2012
When the latest installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies, The Dark Knight Rises, hit theaters in Mexico, two cinemas were robbed. According to The Global Post, three men wearing Batman masks held up two movie theaters in Chihuahua during midnight screenings of the film. The manager of one of the theaters was injured, but no one else was hurt during these crimes.
The first hit took place at the Cinepolis theater, where the armed robbers took all of the money collected for the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. Then, the criminals headed over to the Cinemax theater, at which point they caused bodily harm to the manager on duty, the AFP reports. There are no indications any of the moviegoers were even aware the crimes had taken place until later, as the movies were not halted. The thieves got away with nearly $16,000, and they are still on the loose.
These crimes follow a mass shooting that took place in Colorado when the movie opened in the United States. During this crime, 12 theatergoers were killed and another 58 were injured, including young children, marking one of the deadliest shootings in the States in years. The Mexican Batman robberies, while serious, pale in comparison to the violent encounter in Colorado, but they do give weight to the series of issues that have coincided with the release of this film. The AFP reports another theater in Guadalajara was evacuated during a screening of the movie, after a fire had been started in a dumpster just outside the building.
Those who want to discuss the string of Dark Knight crimes with their friends can make calls to Mexico with international phone cards.