Despite the mass shooting that left 12 people dead and as many as 58 injured Thursday night in a Colorado movie theater's showing of The Dark Knight Rises, San Mateo’s Century theater sold out of Friday night tickets for the Batman thriller, according to one moviegoer.
One mother, Alanna, said she couldn’t get tickets for her kids at the San Mateo theater, so they came up to the San Bruno Century at Tanforan theater for the 8:15 p.m. showing.
“I was a little hesitant because I thought there might be pranks, but we got here and things were quiet, so I told my kids to go ahead,” she said. “My kids said ‘Mom, it’ll be fine.’”
Yet, a few of her kids’ friends decided not to come to the theater because of the Colorado events, she added.
Theaters across the country have ramped up their security efforts in the past 24 hours since the shooting, and San Mateo police indicating increased security in the downtown theater area.
At the time this article was published, security at the San Bruno Century Theater were not able to comment on any change in their efforts since the tragedy.
One Friday night moviegoer in San Bruno said she wouldn’t go to see Dark Knight Rises “for at least a couple of weeks.”
At around 11 p.m. on Friday, Mike, a Millbrae resident, sat at a table next to the concession counter around 11 p.m. Friday, waiting for his teenage daughters to come out of a showing of The Dark Knight Rises. Mike said he was saddened by the Colorado events, but thought it was an isolated incident.
“We’re pretty safe here in the Bay Area. Colorado has problems,” he said. “Columbine happened there.”
The Century had a regular flow of patrons throughout the night, though two security personnel thought the building was fairly quiet for the night after the premiere of something as popular as a Batman movie.
Rhonda, a patron about to step into a late showing of The Dark Knight Rises, was a little uneasy, but not so much to keep her from using the tickets she bought before hearing about the Colorado events.
“You never really know -- there are crazy people everywhere,” she said. "It's in the back of your mind. But nothing really happens here."
