Theater chain warns parents to keep kids away from 'Joker'
UPDATE: Oct. 3, 2019, 10:12 a.m. EDT The Facebook post by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has been deleted from Facebook and the post has been removed from this story, but we have the text from the post below.
If this wasn't already abundantly clear: Joker is NOT a kids' movie.
On Tuesday, theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema posted a warning to Facebook, reminding adult patrons that Joker — the most controversial film of the year, due out Friday — is not intended for children.
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"This is not a joke," the post begins. "Joker is rated R and for good reason. There's lots of very, very rough language, brutal violence, and overall bad vibes. It's a gritty, dark, and realistic, Taxi Driver-esque depiction of one man's descent into madness. It's not for kids, and they won't like it, anyway. (There's no Batman.)"
It's rare for theaters to actively discourage parents from bringing their children to rated R screenings, and legally, they cannot bar anyone from entry. (Only films designated NC-17 call for theaters to prevent underage admittance, with or without parental accompaniment.)
The unusual advisory is just one of several steps theaters are taking to assuage concerns around Joker's alarming content and potential for inspiring real-life violence.
Numerous chains, including Alamo, have stated they will provide additional security and/or police presence at theaters this weekend. Others, including AMC and Landmark, have placed bans on masks and toy weapons at all Joker showings.
The U.S. military has warned service members of possible mass shootings related to the film, and reminded them to "run, hide, fight" in the event of an attack.
Notably, Joker will not appear at the Cinemark theater in Aurora, Colorado where a 2012 shooting took place during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises. The decision was reached mutually by Warner Bros. and Cinemark, per Deadline.
Joker arrives in theaters Oct. 4.
