US Cinema Chain, Regal Entertainment Group, Will Check Customers’ Bags In Wake

While some have favorably compared the added step in the movie-going experience to the process one goes through to enter a concert or sporting event, others have threatened to boycott the theater chain until the policy has been eliminated.

“We believe that the movie theatres have always been and will continue to be places where friends, families and communities can safely gather together for a few hours of fun and entertainment”, Miles said.

“Security issues have become a daily part of our lives in America”, the Regal website reads.

“To ensure the safety of our guests and employees, backpacks and bags of any kind are subject to inspection prior to admission”, the statement said.

Movie theater violence has been increasing in frequency in the last decade or so, but there have been incidences as far back as at least 1979, as this retrospective by The Wrap notes. News of the new protocol comes in the wake of theater shootings in Lafayette, La. and Nashville, Tenn. this summer, and as James Holmes – who is convicted of killing 12 at a theater in Aurora, Colo.in 2012 – was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Variety reports that a research group found that almost half of customers would pay a small fee for better security at the movies. “I know people want to think there’s going to be some kind of security, and maybe it’s the effect that they’re looking for, that they’re doing something”. He says, “We feel trampled on in a lot of cases so it’s a defensive group, a collection of gun owners”.

Like Derr, some movie-goers support the searches.

Some said about Regal’s alleged ulterior motive: sniffing out food-smugglers.

It’s not clear how many bags are actually being searched at the Springfield theater.

It’s unclear when the policy began, but several local TV stations reported online that customers noticed the change in Texas, Virginia, Florida and Ohio beginning earlier this month.

Is Regal’s new bag check policy really a snack check policy?

Regal is not the only theater chain taking precautions. “If it can prevent an attack from happening, it’s a minor inconvenience for me”, he said.

“I feel like it’s an invasion of my privacy”, the 23-year-old Washington resident said.

Moviegoer, Robert Sykes says, “Considering the climate we live in now you can’t be too safe you can give up a little liberty for the greater good and make sure we’re safe and secure”.