Discount movie day brings the crowds, and some mall brawls leading to security changes
As Sunday's $4 movie day attracted 8.5 million people to movie theaters across the nation, leading organizers to call the second annual National Cinema Day a big win, malls also saw increased crowd size – and some got unruly.
For Los Angeles, the movie discount day brought in $34 million.
"The positive response to National Cinema Day is just another reminder of how much people love going to the movie theater," said Michael O'Leary, President & CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners.
And people did show up for the day, with some mall brawls breaking out in the Los Angeles area.
Police responded to the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance Sunday afternoon after getting a call for a "large group of juveniles who are fighting amongst themselves."
There were reports that a gun was fired during the brawl, but investigators have not yet confirmed that.
A similar incident happened in the Inland Empire when multiple fights broke out between groups of teens.
The brawls began around 6 p.m. and spread across the mall, including inside stores. Despite the increased security present for the movie night special, authorities, including local law enforcement, were forced to shut down the mall amid the chaos.
Sheik Islam, the owner of C8 Custom located at the Moreno Valley Mall, said 150 young boys started fighting, forcing him and other stores to shut their doors early for safety.
Mall store employees said the chaos forced swarms of people to run into businesses to escape the frantic melee.
"In light of today's events, we will be forced to go back to the drawing board with regard to unattended youth at our property," the Moreno Valley Mall Management said in a statement.
Mall operators are moving to require minors not accompanied by adults to wear identification after brawls broke out during the movie special night.
The plan is for minors who are in the mall after 5 p.m. on weekdays, or anytime on weekends, to wear lanyards with their names and their parents' contact information. Parents will be called for any misbehavior.
