His hair was dyed flame red, according to survivors, and a gas mask hid his face. The audience, many in fancy dress, thought at first he was part of the entertainment or perhaps a late arrival looking for his seat.
He was neither and as the cinema filled with choking smoke he took aim and fired.
Twelve died, dozens more were injured at the Denver premiere of the third and final chapter in the Batman trilogy – The Dark Knight Rises – and once again the world went into shock. Well most of it did.
Film studio Warner Bros were quick to react. They immediately cancelled the star-studded Paris premiere and pulled the plug on all media interviews with the director and cast. The studio expressed its ‘deep sadness’, ‘shock’ and ‘sympathy’.
Meanwhile Hollywood commentator Nikki Finke’s response caused outrage. Her words came straight from the head, not the heart. ‘It is a very real possibility this terrifying tragedy may affect The Dark Knight Rise’s opening box office today and this weekend,’ she wrote.
So no prizes for guessing who got it right and who got it horribly wrong.
While people were already drawing parallels between life and art as the alleged killer confessed to his obsession with Batman’s arch enemy The Joker, the studio did the decent thing and plunged the celebrity-led launch of its summer blockbuster into darkness, cancelling several more high-profile premieres across the world. It was a dignified withdrawal, respectful of the tragedy and its victims, compared to the crass financial crudity and cruelty of Ms Finke.
This wasn’t a tragedy of Warner’s making but its response reflected well. Studio bosses showed they understood and cared. They acted swiftly and appropriately. They put the cost of human life above box office receipts. In Tinseltown that takes some doing.
By Sue Wood, Media First Journalist Tutor
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