Considering Security When at the Movies

Do you feel safe watching your long-awaited movies in a dark, crowded theatre with your back towards the doors?

If you say, “No,” you are not alone.

According to a New York Times article, “‘I Think About It Daily’: Life in a Time of Mass Shootings”, “more than 5,000 readers wrote…about the anxiety they felt while riding the subway, going to the movies, dropping their children off at school and attending religious services.”

“Increasingly, especially in public spaces, I fear and envision gun violence,” wrote Kelley Alison Smith, 44, from Rhode Island. “I fear that someone I care about, particularly my daughter, will be in the wrong place at the wrong time, having the gall to go about what should be an everyday routine of attending school, or shopping, or going to the movies, and all of a sudden the day, and that life, ceases to be routine forever.”

Since the attacks from Aurora, Colo., to Lafayette, La., and Nashville, Tenn., moviegoers have been increasingly wary of their safety in cinemas, theatres and multiplex venues. They sit in the back of the theater, plot escape strategies and watch suspicious individuals. The recent shootings in Paris, Colorado Springs and San Bernardino have made this feeling of insecurity worse.

Not unfittingly, 2015 has been the year of increased security in theaters. This summer’s gansta rap biopic “Straight Out of Compton” was one of the first movies to receive Universal Studio’s offer of security. Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” has already received controversy over security concerns. Last week, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opened to a slew of new security measures.

The Hollywood Reporter outlines the heightened security procedures in the United States and other key movie markets. France has even instituted hand-held metal detectors, overcoat and bag searches to their entrance protocols.

While an August survey by C4 cited that 48 percent of moviegoers are willing to pay at least a $1 increase in ticket price for enhanced security, that extra buck will not pay for bag searches or the magnetometers and personnel to run full-time.

However, there is a new solution that is more affordable and provides a safe haven for moviegoers in their seats. In response to the 2012 Cinemark Theater shooting, a small ballistic protection company Amulet® Ballistic Barriers (http://www.AmuletBB.com) developed a retrofit solution specifically for theatre seating. The Amulet® Theater Kit, or T-Kit, is a bullet-resistant backing that can be easily installed into existing seats.

“These ballistic panels capture bullets, creating a safe space for patrons to duck and hide from an active shooter,” said Jeffrey Isquith, CEO and founder of Amulet® Ballistic Barriers. “We are in the business to save lives with this new technology.”

This is not the ultimate solution for unexpected gun violence, but it’s a step forward toward an integrated security plan to keep people safer in the public space, especially in our favorite movie theaters.

May the Force be with you.

Brindisi Chan is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications of Amulet Ballistic Barriers, an award-winning manufacturer of ballistic protection for public spaces. Follow the company’s news on their website at http://www.AmuletBB.com and on Twitter at @BallisticFS.