Entertainment

‘Joker’ Screenings Canceled, L.A.-Area Theater Closes After ‘Credible Threat’ – Variety

A movie theater in Huntington Beach, Calif., showing the film “Joker” was closed down on Thursday night after a “credible” threat was reported to police, the Huntington Beach Police Department said on Friday.

The final two showings of the movie at the Century Huntington Beach and XD theater in the Bella Terra shopping center were canceled after officers were sent to the scene. Showings resumed on Friday.

The Huntington Beach Police Department said in a statement that it had received information about a possible threat to the Century Theater in response to the opening of “Joker.”

“The police department deemed the threat was credible enough to provide a uniformed presence at the theater,” the statement said. “As the investigation continued, our officers worked with the managers of the theater, who determined they would cancel the final two showings of the movie and close the theater out of an abundance of caution. Based on the investigation, and in working with theater management, it was determined that the theater could safely reopen today and resume normal operation.”

The theater’s website on Friday showed that the facility was open for business as usual, with advance tickets for sale. The police did not provide any details about the nature of the threat.

“The Huntington Beach Police Department will provide patrols at Century Theater for the rest of this weekend,” the police added. “We are working in conjunction with the theater’s management as well as mall security to provide a safe environment to the public. This incident is currently under investigation, and no further details will be provided.”

The film’s themes of mental illness and its relationship to violence have caused theater owners and law enforcement to worry about the message “Joker” sends. New York and Los Angeles police are deploying officers to theaters screening the film this weekend. “Joker” premiered on Aug. 31 at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion — the festival’s highest prize.

More from “Joker:”


  • Editorial use only. No book cover

    Disney is in early development on a live-action “Inspector Gadget” movie and has set up the project with “Aladdin” producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich at their Rideback banner. Disney has hired Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell, best known as “Saturday Night Live” writers, to work on the script. “Inspector Gadget” originated in 1983 as […]


  • Hava, Maryam, Ayesha

    After bowing at Venice where it was nominated for the Horizons Award, “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” has its Asian premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. Directed by debutante Sahraa Karimi, it plays in the ‘A Window On Asian Cinema’ strand. The film is a rarity in that it is an Afghan film made by an […]


  • Suman Ghosh returns to Busan with

    After 2011’s “Nobel Thief,” 2012’s “Uncle Shyamal Turns off the Lights,” 2015’s “Peace Haven” and 2016’s “Mi Amor,” Indian filmmaker Suman Ghosh returns to the Busan International Film Festival with a brace of projects. His “Aadhaar,” a satire on India’s contentious identity card of the same name, has its world premiere at the ‘A Window […]


  • The 12 boys and their coach,

    “The Cave,” Tom Waller’s reconstruction of the dramatic rescue of a schoolboy soccer team from waterlogged caverns in northern Thailand begins its festival career this week at the Busan International Film Festival. Interest in the story has been running strongly since the dramatic events of June and July 2018, with at least half a dozen […]


  • Showbox is selling

    Showbox, one of South Korea’s leading studios, is launching sales of disaster comedy “Sinkhole” at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Market. Helmed by “The Tower” director Kim Ji-hoon, the film is the story of the events that follow the appearance of an urban sinkhole that swallows an entire apartment building. It stars fashion […]


  • CJ 4DX

    “We plan to consolidate our position as the world’s leading cinema technology company by operating 750 screens by end of 2019, capable of hosting 150 million moviegoers a year,” said JongRyul Kim, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX at a press event held in Seoul in September. The company has been in business for a decade now. 4DX is […]


  • Somewhere WInter

    “Somewhere Winter,” a Chinese-language romantic drama, has joined the sales slate of Distribution Workshop in time for the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Market. The film is directed by David Wang Weiming (“Sex Appeal”) and stars Ma Sichun (“Soul Mate,” “The Left Ear”) and Wallace Huo (“Our Time Will Come”). The movie tells a […]

Read More

Related Articles

Back to top button
>