The 10 Most Violent Movie Theater Attacks By Joanne [46 more lists]

Because man at Comic-Con 2010 was stabbed a few days ago just for sitting too close to another man during a movie panel, ( ow.ly/2gT2x ), here are the most violent incidents that have ever taken place in an establishment where people are supposed to be enjoying films. And you thought cell phones and babies were bad.

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1

Man Shot For Talking, Benjamin Button

This is another noise-related attack at the movies. This one just made a bigger noise in the process of doing it. You'll see what we mean.

It all started at around 9:30 PM on December 25, 2008 inside the Riverview Movie Theater in South (man, wish it was "West") Philadelphia (born and raised...). A man named James Cialella told a man and his family to be quiet during a showing of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and then started to throw popcorn at the victim's son. There WERE quite a few quiet scenes in the movie, and noise during it would have been VERY distracting. So here's what happened next.

A physical altercation then began between Cialella and the father. Unable to contain his rage (at the fact that Brad Pitt got to look young for longer), Cialella walked up to the loud man and shot him.

Lomax, the victim, was released from the hospital and Cialella charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and other charges. The child was unaffected by the popcorn.

Worst. Christmas. Ever.

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2

Stabbed with a Meat Thermometer, Shutter Island

Talking on the phone during a movie is an obvious don't. It's rude, annoying, and totally obnoxious. However, speaking up about it can lead to deadly consequence, as proven in the March 2010 stabbing of a moviegoer during a Shutter Island screening in Lancaster, California.

After an unidentified male complained to a nearby viewer who was on her cellphone during the film, the woman got up with two male friends and exited the theater. This should have eased the guy who actually wanted to watch the movie, and it probably did for a little while--until the lady's guy pals came back and stabbed him in the neck...with a meat thermometer... because apparently people just carry those around these days.

If you go out to get some people to stab someone, you'd think they'd at least have enough time to equip themselves correctly.

To add insult to injury, the guy TOTALLY saw the twist in the movie coming.

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3

Man Commits Suicide, Watchmen

Yeah, so "Watchmen" got a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, but c'mon, that's not worth committing suicide over, right? The movie was actually a fair representation of the novel and was almost shot-for-shot the book. Sure not EVERY single theme was covered, but it was a relatively sound adaptation.

The poor guy who popped his head with a gun in a midnight screening of "Watchmen" on April 6, 2009 didn't even give himself the chance to watch the ending. No one else was injured in the theater as the victim was seated in the back corner and the closest person was two rows away.

This most likely happened during the awkward sex scene between Night Owl and Silk Spectre II, though, and c'mon, at least there were b*****s involved there. It wasn't THAT bad. Also, what if there was something after the credits?

Everyone's a critic.

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4

Opening Night Shootout, Notorious

I guess if there had to be a shootout at a movie, it would be at a movie like "Notorious." Based on the life of rapper Notorious B.I.G. whose life was taken away by an unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles and constantly in the throes of East Coast/West Coast rivalry, the movie opened to about 700 people at the Greensboro Movie Theater on January 16, 2009. But it wasn't just opening night for the theater, it was also an occasion for opening fire.

At around 9 PM, while moviegoers were waiting to get in to the showing, a 32-year-old man was shot twice in the abdomen. It was caused by an argument, and everyone was evacuated (Biggie vs. Tupac, perhaps?).

Dozens of police cars swarmed the location, and though the moviegoers couldn't see "Notorious," they at least got a small dose of a "B.I.G." scene. Feel free to commence knee slapping at any moment now... aaaany minute now....

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5

Stabbed with a Pen, Comic-Con 2010 Movie Panels

Though technically not a movie theater, but a convention hall where they show movies, a dude wearing a Harry Potter shirt stabbed another guy in the face with a pen over a seat for... wait for it... the movie "Paul", a film starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost that isn't even directed by Edgar Wright.

Hall H at the 2010 Comic Con International Convention was supposed to be for a panel featuring actor Seth Rogen discussing the science-fiction comedy "Paul," but instead it became residence for some nerd evil.

Showing once again that deodorant would solve almost ANY social problem, the two males got into a dispute about sitting too close to each other and one guy finally stabbed the other one on the side of his eye with a pen. That's one way to clear some space.

The victim was taken to the hospital with a minor cut while the attacker was arrested and booked for assault with a deadly weapon. Yeah, you read that right. Deadly.

Looks like the pen IS mightier...

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6

Stabbed During a Stabbing Scene, The Signal

Imagine this. There's a bloody stabbing scene on the movie screen and you close your eyes for just a minute. When you open them you find yourself as the one being stabbed, just like in Scream 2! (SO been done before.)

No, it's not the latest advancement in 3D technology--it's a real-life horror story.

The incident took place during the notoriously gruesome movie, The Signal. The Sundance 2007 horror hit is known for its many death and killing scenes, but none could have been as palpable as the stabbing scene executed by a male on two patrons at around 7:30 PM at the Fullerton AMC Theater in Orange County, California (where people take their films very, VERY seriously).

With only two other watchers in the theater with him, the guy with the description of 20s, black spikey hair and 5'10"stabbed one man in the arm and the other in the chest, which later punctured his lung.

Both victims survived, but I don't suppose the two people will own the movie on Blu-Ray any time soon, but hey probably free movies for life at that theatre.

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7

Stabbed by a Security Guard, My Bloody Valentine 3D

Another violent outburst around the screening of a horror movie, this time My Bloody Valentine 3-D. However, this stabbing (yes, it's another stabbing -- apparently these people really like to keep things traditional) on January 18, 2009, took place after the movie ended and not at the hands of crazy moviegoers, but at the hands of a crazy security guard. Where's your God now?

When Guard Richard Singh, 24, told moviegoers to exit the New York theater after the screening and a 16-year-old boy refused so that he could wait inside for a ride home, the guard, probably sick of people his age making fun of him, and the boy got into a shoving match.

One thing led to another and Singh took out a folding knife and stabbed the boy in the stomach for the win.

Problem so not solved. The boy received six stitches to close his wound, and Singh was charged with second-degree assault as well as the title of Pathetic Loser. No word on whether the guard was fired or not because there's nothing more annoying than a 16 year old kid with a sense of entitlement at a movie theatre.

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8

Off-Screen Gun Dispute, After a Movie

You know the "Please, don't ruin the movie with your own soundtrack" schpiel a lot of us get from the previews before movies? Well, an audience member paid no heed to that friendly reminder and added his own soundtrack of gunshots during a film screening at the Harris Theater near Broadway, in NY.

We gotta hand it to him though, he did know a thing about rhythm and timing. Five shots rang out in the middle of him and another man's dispute right when gunmen were shooting fire on screen. The real-life gunman was so well-synchronized that the 100 or so patrons thought the extra sound was part of the movie. Only after they realized that it wasn't sound effects did everyone start screaming and ducking for cover.

So next time you hear a baby crying, check to make sure no one in your aisle is giving birth. Because that would be totally annoying.

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9

Self-Confessed Shooting, X-Men 3

If you're going to shoot somebody in a public movie theatre, you might as well be polite about it.

That's exactly what happened in the 2006 shooting at Owings Mill movie theater in Baltimore. A 24-year-old man named Mujtaba Jabbar shot and killed someone during the screening of X Men: The Last Stand, (or X-Men 3). About twenty minutes into the film, he got up and ordered everyone to get on the floor and fired at the person sitting closest to him.

Isn't this right about where the de-aged Professor Xavier dies in a mini inhouse huricane? Or is it when they kill off Cyclops for absolutely no reason? This guy's problem is that he reacted the same way WE all did on the inside... on the OUTside.

Then, he did what every morally upright person would do and placed the handgun on the lobby counter, told the theater manager he'd shot someone and patiently waited for officers to arrest him. An incredibly courteous move.

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10

Accidental Fire

Disagree with me if you like... Avatar is a mind blowing film, not an ankle-blowing one.

On January 12, 2010, one particular watcher of the blockbuster feature in Albuquerque, New Mexico was more overcome with excitement than others when he accidentally dropped his revolver on the floor, having it discharge and striking a woman in the back of her heel.

The woman was treated and the man arrested. The movie, priceless.

Watch the news report for more details.

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