Fireworks Set Off In Theatre

[Don Furr]

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota...2TJFTCEyCfeBvo

[Mike Blakesley]

Idiots are going to be the death of "out-of-home" experiences in this country. They won't stop until they've ruined absolutely everything.

Just one more reason for not allowing backpacks, but even that might not always work -- some fireworks stuff could easily fit into a small purse or even a pocket.

[Martin McCaffery]

You can't make things idiot proof because idiots are so ingenious. You can, however, make their lives hell if you catch them.

Love this disclaimer: "Note: The details provided in this story are based on the police’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change."

[Marcel Birgelen]

Wasn't it Stephen Hawking who once said that when you try to make something idiot proof, they'll just make better idiots?

[Van Dalton]

Injuries after firework set off in Eagan movie theater
Police said "several" people were treated for minor injuries.

Tommy Wiita
Jul 13, 2022

Emagine

A firework was set off inside the Emagine Movie Theater in Eagan Tuesday night.

Police said they received several calls reporting that a firework was going off just before 8:30 p.m. Authorities noted that "several" people were treated for minor injuries and released.

An early investigation shows that a suspect lit the firework and left the theater before it went off. No arrests have been made as of Wednesday morning.

The case remains under investigation.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on the police’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.
Emagine Movie Theater
Eagan Police Department
Eagan MN
Minnesota
fireworks

By
Tommy Wiita

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota...-movie-theater

[Randy Stankey]

Way back, when we were opening a new theater, we had such an incident.

There was some acrimony with the union because it was getting too close to the due date for completion and the theater people were accusing the construction people of slacking off but the construction company accused theater management of changing the completion date. It was all bullshit, really. The theater people were trying to cut costs but the construction people were just trying to pad their wallets.

A lot of stupid, sophomoric pranks went on. Tech people would go into a theater to work on speakers and things but, when they tried to get out, they'd find scaffolding in front of doors, forcing them to go out the emergency exits and haul all their equipment around to the front of the building. There was a lot of hooting and hollering about that. Then rumors started to circulate that "somebody" was going to do "something" during opening night.

Nothing happened on opening night but, about a week later, some asshole set off a pack of firecrackers in a theater, just as the opening credits of the movie started.
Nobody could prove who did it but various parties were accused of it. They all denied it and pointed fingers at other people. In the end, nobody really figured out who did it.

The way we figured, somebody lit the firecrackers and thew them on the floor before ducking out the emergency exit. The movie was temporarily stopped. An usher was called in to sweep up the mess. The lights were turned up to make sure that everybody was okay and the doors were opened to let the smoke blow out. When the smoke cleared and everybody settled down, the movie was restarted and the movie showed normally and finished without incident.

Everybody was instructed to not make a big deal out of it because, if it was some disgruntled union people who did it, we didn't want them to have the satisfaction of getting our goats. We just cleaned up the mess and moved on.

Over the years, I've heard of other theaters getting pranked like that. One story goes that a bunch of people came to a theater with air horns and high powered flashlights and, at various times throughout the night, they'd blow the horns and shine lights in peoples' faces. Other stories said that people set off stink bombs and stuff like that but nobody could ever show evidence that any of those things actually happened. All just urban legends.

Probably, the best urban legend I ever heard was about somebody buying a whole bunch of crickets from a bait shop or pet store and releasing them in a theater.

It'd be funny to actually see that happen!... Providing that it happened to somebody else.

[Martin McCaffery]

Probably, the best urban legend I ever heard was about somebody buying a whole bunch of crickets from a bait shop or pet store and releasing them in a theater.

Probably happened somewhere. I have clipping somewhere from the 1930's where someone let loose a bag of snakes in the theatre. Pretty sure it was Birmingham, but would have to check. And if I am recalling correctly it was someone from the musicians union as they were losing their jobs thanks to talkies.

Stink bombs were quite popular during labor disputes here in AL, and certainly in Chicago, so probably everywhere.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Stink bombs were quite popular during labor disputes here in AL, and certainly in Chicago, so probably everywhere.

The Chicago boys generally blew up your theater or maimed or disfigured the manager or owner. This happened up into the 1970's. The Local 110 "rules" were enforced for Al Capone by Frank Nitti. Nitti was ruthless in enforcing the rules for Capone. Nitto is even buried in the same Cemetery as Capone.

[Randy Stankey]

Union and mob violence is stupid. Nobody really benefits. In the end, people only get killed.

Things like fireworks and stink bombs are little more than fraternity pranks. If something goes wrong, people get hurt.

Hydrogen sulfide gas (often the product of stink bombs) is toxic in large enough amounts but even in the small quantities generated by your average prank stink bomb, it could send a person to the hospital if they have asthma or pulmonary problems. Possibly even worse.

The kind of firecrackers most people play with on the Fourth of July, again, are relatively harmless if used with reasonable care. Throwing a pack or two in a theater with concrete floors will likely do little more than make noise, smoke and leave a big mess but, still, I don't think I have to tell people what could go wrong.

Given that you can't stop people from acting like idiots, I still think there are a lot more creative ways to commit mayhem in a theater.

The bag of snakes would be funny if it happened during a showing of "Snakes on a Plane." (In the rhetorical sense that is.)

One urban legend I occasionally hear about but, again, have never seen proof of is the one where somebody releases a million fireflies in a dark theater.

I have actually seen a single firefly find its way into a theater but it was caught on in-betweens before the show actually started.

If somebody were to actually let loose a million fireflies, I'd be rolling on the floor, laughing, even if it happened in my theater!