Cinemas in Milwaukee have changed their policies, banning backpacks, large bags and oversize purses from its screenings, with some even banning face paint. Although cinema operators have not cited the release of ‘Joker’ as the reasoning behind the precautions, no bags larger than 14 inches by 14 inches by 6 inches will be allowed into screenings of the film as security clamp down on any possibility of violence. Last week, the US Army confirmed that it had widely distributed an advisory to service members about a potential mass shooting during the theatrical release of ‘Joker’. According to Stripes, a US Army Criminal Investigation Command was issued warning commanders in Oklahoma that a law enforcement agency in Texas working with the FBI had uncovered “disturbing and very specific chatter in the dark web regarding the targeting of an unknown movie theatre during the release” date on October 4.
In an email marked “For Official Use Only” distributed on September 18, service members were told to be aware of their surroundings and to “identify two escape routes” when entering cinemas.
It added that if a shooting was to take place, soldiers must then “run, hide and fight”.
The US Army’s email also warned about the online subculture of “incels”.
Incels are known to hold extreme and violent misogynistic views and attitudes including sympathies towards the “alt-right” movement and have been tied to past mass shootings, including the 2014 Isla Vista killings.
On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.
An attacker set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms. Twelve people were killed and 70 others were injured, 58 of them from gunfire.
Ahead of screenings this weekend, a spokeswoman for the Milwaukee Police Department said in an email sent on Wednesday that she had not been made aware of any threats related to the film.
However, given the history of violence in films relating to the ‘Batman’ franchise, police in some areas of the US are taking no risks.
The ‘Joker’ film has provoked some backlash from critics over its depiction of mental health and violence.
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He added: “I think it’s because outrage is a commodity, I think it’s something that has been a commodity for a while.”
In response to the criticism, Warner Bros expressed their “deepest sympathy” to those affected by prior shootings.
However they maintained in the statement that the film was merely a vehicle for “storytelling…to provoke difficult conversations”.