Hundreds of movie goers were made to vacate the Revere Showcase Cinema complex Monday night when a fire alarm went off inside the theater.
The exit from the various theaters was orderly, according to those who were there.
And there was security and police present, they said.
On first hearing the alarm as they were watching the Batman film, three movie goers interviewed said they were shocked and a bit scared.
“We thought the worst when we heard the alarm,†said a 13 year old whose mother asked that her name not be revealed.
“We got out easy. There was no panic,†said her sister, 12.
“They left the theater with their mother following the incident. Many others did the same.
All theater goers were reimbursed who failed to see the remainder of the movie.
A company employee who wished to remain unnamed said the fire alarm was caused by a dirty sensor that tripped the fire alarm.
That sensor was immediately replaced.
Many movie goers expressed shock at the happening, which comes on the heals of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado where a crazed gunman dressed as the Joker shot 58 people and killed 12 during a screening of the new Batman movie.
The tragedy has caused security to be beefed up at theater complexes everywhere and including in Revere, said Revere police.
Revere Police and the Revere Police SWAT team have had a long-standing relationship with Showcase Cinemas, and RPD spokesperson Amy O’Hara said “All of our officers are trained in ‘active shooter’ drills and are prepared for such things, but beyond that we have a SWAT team that can be assembled quickly to address any kind of situation like that,†she said. Members of the department are familiar with the layout of the theatre,†she added.
“The Showcase does have its own security force as well as hiring frequent police details to monitor the location,†she said. “After the Colorado incident, they’ve beefed up security. Their security and our details have been instructed to be as visible as possible when they’re at the theatre.
The Showcase home office said that they did continue with the Batman movie screenings after the Colorado shooting, but said they were shocked by what happened. They indicated they have a detailed safety plan that is coordinated with Revere Police, but they do not share that plan with the public.
“We share the shock and sadness of everyone in the exhibition community at the news of the tragedy in Colorado,†said Rachel Lulay of Showcase. “The safety of our patrons and staff is of the utmost importance to us. For that reason, we do not discuss the internal security measures we have in place but we are reinforcing those measures with our theatre personnel.
