Joker Movie Theater Closes After A Credible Threat

Even before its release, the standalone Joker movie was a lightning rod for controversy. There were those who loved it and those who loathed it, whether any of them had seen the film or not. Now, after its first night of release, the controversy has already escalated. Thursday night, October 3, a movie theater in Huntington Beach, Ca. was forced to close after a threat was received that police deemed credible.

The news comes from the LA Times, which reported all screenings after 4:45 PM PT at the Century Huntington Beach and XD theater were called off. This was in response to a threat that was reported to law enforcement. Police have not disclosed where the threat came from or what the nature of it was.

As of Friday, the theater has reopened, though there is scheduled to be a law enforcement "presence" in the area, per the LA Times. "We took the threat seriously, and we’re investigating," Officer Angela Bennett told the newspaper.

Since it first started being shown to critics, a debate has been ongoing about just how the kind of movie Joker is. GameSpot's own Michael Rougeau and Meg Downey had a conversation about Joker and how "dangerous" it is, while Warner Bros. released a statement ahead of release to denounce gun violence, while standing by the film.

Joker is in theaters now.