Gotham City is more than familiar with pranksters like The Joker who love to shake things up through acts of anarchy. Even with that expectation in mind, the fact that somebody took a live bat to a screening of The Batman in Austin, Texas is something that’s way out in the realm of the expected. Despite the fact that it didn’t end well, human and animal have remained unscathed. In fact, there was a bit of humor to be found in the entire situation.
First, let’s talk out the serious end of things. A guest at a Cinépolis location in Austin apparently brought a live bat for the purpose of releasing it into the theater, and did so during a showing of The Batman on Friday night. Per reporting from CBS Austin, Cinépolis spokesperson made the following statement on what had happened, and the security measures being enforced shortly after:
Local animal control was immediately contacted, and they have been overseeing the situation to ensure guest, associate and animal safety. To ensure a prank like this does not again occur, we’ve added additional security and are checking all bags upon guest entry.
While this is an obviously serious matter, especially since theater chains have taken security for Batman and adjacent titles like Joker, the party in question allegedly did not mean to harm anyone by their actions. The audience certainly didn’t let it totally spoil the fun, as despite full refunds being offered, most of that crowd stayed for the rest of The Batman. This was after what was quite possibly the best, and also most hysterical warning that anyone could have issued.
Per a video from this eventful screening that was posted to Twitter, an employee of the Cinéopolis location informed moviegoers that they were going to try and lure the bat out of the theater. The choice of words couldn’t have been more fitting, as you can see below:
I was there. They tried to bait it into flying out pic.twitter.com/tkPLMJdtbmMarch 5, 2022
“If you are uncomfortable being in the dark with a bat, please remove yourself now.” You could practically make that the official greeting on Gotham City’s welcome sign, especially since The Batman did so well in its first weekend. Future visitors should be warned that if you come to the city protected by Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego, you’d better be on your best behavior.
With the exception of the perpetrator who let loose the bat in an auditorium, these patrons of The Batman were especially brave and well behaved. Judging by the scene depicted on the screen in that video, this showing looked to be fairly early in its run time. It just makes the fact that people sat in the dark with a bat, for what some thought was a relatively long movie, all the more remarkable.
One can only hope that the bat made its way back into nature safe and sound, and the audience still enjoyed their night with The Batman. Though if anyone knows what the bat’s thoughts on the film happened to be, we’re very intrigued to hear. You can see Matt Reeves’ striking new vision of Gotham City in theaters now, and don’t forget to keep up with what upcoming DC movies are around the corner. For all other 2022 releases, head over to our listing of new movie releases, and start planning your bat-future.
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