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Jonathan Castner / AFP - Getty Images file
The scene in front of the Aurora, Colo., theater on July 20 where a gunman opened fire during the opening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises."
Calling it a “disgusting offer” and a “thinly veiled publicity ploy,” some victims’ families of the Aurora, Colo., theater massacre are outraged that the movie house chain's owner would invite them to a special event marking the reopening of the place where 12 movie-goers were killed and 58 wounded.
Cinemark CEO Tim Warner offered free tickets to an event Jan. 17 for the reconfigured Aurora Century Theatre, according to an invitation letter sent to Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan and obtained by NBC News. Warner also points out the community had requested the theater's restoration.
In addition, victims and their families were told special arrangements could be made for them to visit before the reopening, on Jan. 15 and 16.
According to the Denver Post, an email invitation was also sent through the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance. It said that counselors would be available at the event.
In response, a group of families fired back a letter of their own, blasting the invitation and saying they would urge a boycott of the event on social media.
“This disgusting offer that you’d 'like to invite you and a guest to a special evening of remembrance on Thursday, January 17 at 5 PM' followed by the showing of a movie and then telling us to be sure 'to reserve our tickets' is wholly offensive to the memory of our loved ones.”
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The letter says Cinemark had not reached out to families before the invitation.
"None of us received a letter of condolence or any other communication from Cinemark, but now they want us to step foot in that theater," Sandy Phillips, mother of Jessica Ghawi, told The Denver Post. Ghawi was one of the people fatally shot during the sold-out midnight showing of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" on July 20.
“We, the families, recognize your thinly veiled publicity ploy for what it is: A great opportunity for you to distance yourselves and divert public scrutiny from your culpability in this massacre,” the letter states.
Court date set for Colorado theater shooting suspect's biggest hearing yet
A survey conducted this summer by the city of Aurora found the majority of residents in favor of having the theater reopened, the Post reported. It was remade into an XD theater with wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor screen.
Several victims’ families have sued Cinemark USA, alleging improper security at the theater on the night of the massacre.
A spokeswoman for Cinemark told NBC News the theater would have no immediate comment on the boycott.
James Holmes, a 25-year-old former neuroscience graduate student, is charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in the shootings. On Wednesday prosecutors said they would make public evidence in the case for the first time in a hearing next week.
At previous hearings, a defense lawyer has said Holmes suffered from an unspecified mental illness.
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Wonder what is playing......Django Unchained, Gangster Squad, Baytown Outlaws, Officer Down, The Last Stand. etc, etc etc....
Surely these films are good family flicks and have no violence or sexual overtones.....
Does Aurora Century Theatre use real butter on its popcorn?
Really? Ok, we'll honor your family members without you.
"...and divert public scrutiny from your culpability in this massacre."
What am I missing here?! What culpability?! How many people on here have ever seen a armed guard in a movie theater? I certainly never have. In the mall, yes, but not in a theater.
Oregon had a mall shooter that was stopped by a civilian with a concealed carry weapon. The police never fired a shot. Ironically the man is in trouble for carrying in a "gun-free" zone. However, only 2 people out of the thousands that were there were shot because of that.
Maybe we should stop establishing "gun-free" zones since the kooks and perps have the nerve to not obey.
Well said, I know the victims and families are angry and hurt and looking to blame someone, blame the shooter and help the business owner who is a victim as well.....
Blaming the theatre for that horrific event and lashing out at its reopening is paramount to not rebuilding the trade center. Yes, a horrible event occurred that was carried out by an insane person, but that had nothing to do with this theatre and while it may have been insensitive and a bad idea to invite victims and relatives to a reopening event, it hardly warranted this knee-jerk reaction. Horribly bad things happen all the time and burying our heads and rewriting history is not the way to go. Acknowledge that bad things have happened and rise above it, don't sweep it under the rug and pretend it didn't happen. Have we become so weak that we can't accept the good with the bad?
yes its a sad thing about the shootings. But I believe there is not one true christian among them. The owner is entitled to make a living or maybe he should sue each and everyone of you that want to stop him from doing that. he did nothing in the shooting. Go back to your church and your bible the man only tried to give you something back. So your all hippocrates. Tired of everyone doing all this. Sorry for your lose now get over it. Do you want to know how many friends and relatives I lost in Vietnam? I thin k about them but not to interfere with any else's job , business or life.
Well said Tavia, Theater is in a no win situation and did their best with the invite. If they had not sent an invite, same reaction would have happened.
This is just sad. Some people just want to hold the community hostage for their own selfish benifits. The owner needs to make a living. People want to see movies. Time to move on. Have they not noticed. All around the world, in the US, the world has gone on, business as usual.
The movie industry is just like everything else, $$$$$$$$$. I worked for Cinemark USA for 11 years as a 35mm Projectionist. The place I worked is now closed because the 20 year lease expired in 2010. They left town and never came back. Now, they and other Theater companies have to pay for the "NEW" Digital Projection Equipment that not only cost millions, but replaces 35mm film. They can't run movies if they don't have the Digital Equipment. They own or lease most of the theaters they manage. The shareholders want and need your money! Do you think some other company will BUY OR LEASE this Theater? Cinemark is stuck with it. Good or Bad!
I understand the victims familys hurt, but how can you sue the owner of the theater? I have been to many theaters and have not seen one security guard. what makes this theater different from the rest? The family is sueing the owner for improper security on this night in question. Did the owner know that this guy was going to come in and start shooting? NO. Get real people, this is a sue happy world and we try to sue for anything... even the death of a loved one. Now there is the store of the teen shot by the police officer while in handcuffs. But the family will probable sue the police department in wrongful death. Lets sue the city because of one cops actions. Sue the cop if it makes you feel good. Send the cop to jail for the rest of his life, but sue the city or department? FOR WHAT?
Actually the family would rightfully sue the police department and the police officer for shooting an unarmed and handcuffed teenager. That's just the way tort law works.
It's different in the theater's case because they had no obligation to provide armed security at all or (if required to have armed security) such a high level of such security that would have stopped this guy. He came for a personal war, and he could have chosen any place to do so. Just because he could have chosen a public park doesn't mean the city would have been responsible for not providing armed police officers at that park, because the city has no duty to do so just like the theater has no duty to do so.
WOW, People are so desperate and distraught and in some cases deranged.
Really? The THEATRE?! It's not the theatres fault some nutjob burst in with guns and shot people, they are trying to do something nice for you, accept it or don't and stop trying to suck money out of it for yourself. Talk about disrespecting the memory of your loved ones... I'm sure they'd be happy to know you're suing someone trying to do a little something nice cuz you want money, IN THEIR MEMORY.
I think the victims are overreacting. As someone else pointed out, the theater was as much a victim of the attack as they were. They did nothing to provoke the attack and their employees were in danger during it, too. Then they try to make a goodwill gesture to the victims after the fact and get slammed for that as well. I'm sorry if they took the gesture the wrong way but they need to stop casting blame on the wrong people. The gunman alone is responsible for what they went through. Nothing the theater does can make up for what happened to the victims but doesn't it count for something that they at least tried?
Don't blame theaters for existing the way they've always existed for the past 100 or so years.
As for the gesture of free tickets, it seems as if the families are making it more of a public affair than the theater.
They're trying to get money out of the theater and not in memory of a loved one. I am betting they're not going to donate any of the extra cash if they win.