QUEENS — A national movie chain has banned backpacks, other large bags and packages for safety reasons, they said — a move that took many theatergoers by surprise.
Multiplex Cinemas around New York City put up signs last week saying that large bags, backpacks and packages — as well as costumes, masks and fake weapons — are forbidden inside their movie theaters, employees at three theaters in the Brooklyn and Queens said Tuesday.
"To ensure the safety of our guests and employees, for the time being we are prohibiting any and all backpacks and packages as well as reserving the right to inspect the contents of any purse or bag prior to admission," read the signs, which were posted inside "coming soon" display cases and elsewhere.
Many theatergoers with bags were turned away after purchasing tickets, while others with backpacks were prevented from purchasing tickets at all. Many were forced to return their tickets almost immediately after buying them.
Some movie theater patrons said they couldn't get a straight answer on why backpacks were being banned, and worried that it was a reaction to the release of “Straight Outta Compton” — which the theater owner, National Amusements, denied.
“We continually review our security procedures to keep our theatres as safe as possible and will continue to do so,” said Rachel Lulay, a spokeswoman for the company.
She said the policy went into effect Aug. 7 to ensure the safety of guests and employees, and added that the Aug. 14 release of “Straight Outta Compton” was not a factor in the decision.
She wouldn't say if the rule was related to the deadly shooting in Louisiana on July 24 during a showing of "Trainwreck" or any other movie theater shootings.
However, Regal Theaters across the country said Wednesday it would also check customer bags in the wake of recent shootings, according to reports.
Customers were surprised by the move.
A group of five friends from Flushing took the bus to the College Point Multiplex Theater to see a 6:50 p.m. showing the film about West Coast rap group N.W.A.
As soon as they walked through the door, they were stopped by security, they said. Three of the five teens were wearing backpacks, and a security guard told them they wouldn’t be let inside with them.
“I asked, ‘can we check our bookbags?,’” Saied Jackson, 19, said. “They just told us we can’t go up with bookbags.”
“As soon as we came in they came directly to us,” Noah Wiggins, 16, said. “They told us to go home.”
A manager at the theater, Enrique Gutierrez, said the rule was put in place over the weekend.
“All the employees, they know about it. They have to let [customers] know now there’s no backpacks or packages,” he said.
“There’s a lot of people unhappy with it, they come to the movies and then they’re turned away,” Guttierez said.
At the Jamaica Avenue Multiplex on Tuesday, an employee cautioned a DNAinfo reporter against purchasing a ticket because of a backpack.
“They won’t let you in with that,” she said.
Other moviegoers waiting in the lobby were also told they wouldn’t be let in with backpacks.
“I don’t understand why they’re going so hard,” said Tasha Adams, 20. She wasn’t wearing a backpack but saw others get turned away.
“They wouldn’t even let a little kid with a Spider-Man backpack in.”
And at the Linden Boulevard Multiplex in East New York, guests on a long line for the 9:20 p.m. showing of “Straight Outta Compton” on Tuesday were told they wouldn’t be let in with most bags. Some guests left the line.
But a DNAinfo reporter got through for a 9 p.m. showing of “Fantastic Four” while wearing a backpack. A manager later said the reporter “must have slipped in.”
Patrick Abraham, 21, came to the theater right from work, wearing his backpack.
After staffers rejected Abraham's entry into “Straight Outta Compton” with the bag, he said he was planning to get a refund.
“It’s new, this is the first time ever,” he said, of the rule. “It seems weird, it’s never happened before.”
HIs friend Ingrid Jones, 21, said if security was a concern they should hire more staff and check the bags. They both felt it was related to the film's release.
“It’s a predominantly black audience,” she said, for the showing of “Straight Outta Compton.”
“We should be able to be here in unity, to watch the movie. ... This rule just came out of nowhere.”
