Burbank Screening Of 'The Last Jedi' Ran Into Technical Difficulties, Almost Led To A Riot
There was a disturbance in the Force. On Friday, cops had to be called after fans walked out of the opening night screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. A video captured the moment when fans stormed out of the cinema and demanded that the movie be restarted.
The Last Jedi Causes Chaos
AMC Burbank 16 in Burbank, California had to face the wrath of angry Star Wars fans after a technical difficulty disrupted their enjoyment of the movie. Dozens of people walked out of the cinema and almost started a riot after the movie started without an audio.
In the video posted on YouTube, fans were heard yelling "Restart it" in the lobby of the AMC theater. A man dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi tried to calm the crowd, assuring that the staff would restart the movie.
Lynly Ehrlich, who went to the screening dressed as Rey (Daisy Ridley), was the one who took and posted the video online. She recounted that the audio worked fine throughout the trailers and the opening sequence of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
"Literally the next scene, there were nothing but muffled vocals," she told the Los Angeles Times. "You could not understand a word anyone was saying."
She walked out of the cinema to let the staff know, but by the time she reached the lobby, another woman was already there, yelling at the staff. Soon after, a small crowd has assembled.
"I thought that there was going to be violence that was going to erupt and I wanted to have a video just in case I had to go to court," she explained. "That was my first thought."
The staff offered to refund the tickets but said they could not restart the movie because it would throw off the night's schedule. While Ehrlich collected the refund, a dozen or so of police officers have arrived at the theater. She was told that a person had to be escorted out.
Burbank police confirmed that officers responded to reports of a large group causing disturbance. A spokesperson assured that no one was harmed and no arrests were made the night of the incident.
Another Screening Gone Wrong
ABC reported that another screening of the movie also experienced the same technical glitch. Rick Johnson, who attended the 1:30 a.m. screening of the movie, said they only saw the opening crawl before the movie was cut to black.
However, he said that the audience did not escalate the issue. The movie was restarted for them.
In both cases, AMC Burbank offered a refund, free passes, and the option to watch the movie in other AMC theaters. AMC declined to comment regarding the incident.
