As part of the grand opening celebration of the Promenade at Virginia Gateway Saturday, the Peterson Companies treated shoppers to a fireworks display. Apparently, no one informed the patrons of the Regal Virginia Gateway Stadium 14 & RPX, some of whom heard the explosions and left the theater believing they were under attack.
"Peterson, the developer of Virginia Gateway, sponsored a fireworks display but our local managers did not believe it would be close enough to disrupt our business; as it turned out, the sound was audible in all auditoriums and some guests were alarmed by the noise," Regal Cinemas VP Marketing and Communications Russ Nunley said.
According to eyewitnesses, when the fireworks commenced at 8:15 p.m. moviegoers streamed out of the theaters to investigate the noise.
"At first, everyone in the theater though the sounds were special effects, but then a couple of men rushed out of the theater," Kelli Macdonald of Warrenton said.
Another patron, an off-duty police officer, described the scene as chaotic.
"When I exited into the cinema hallway, it looked like about half the people in other theaters were filtering out as well," Jen Albrycht of Warrenton said.
As hundreds of people gathered in the hallway outside the theaters, many were reportedly concerned due to high-profile incidents of violence in public venues across the country in recent years.
"We hung around for about 10 minutes, and there were approximately 100 plus customers milling around the hallways and lobby that had left their theaters when they heard the noises," Albrycht said." It sounded like someone was shooting a very high-powered weapon in the theater next to ours."
"It was a very unsettling event because it like gunshots," Macdonald said. "We weren't sure which exit to use or the safest way to exit the building."
At the time of the incident, witnesses said the theater staff and management appeared confused and apprehensive; however, Nunley praised how the staff handled the incident.
"To assist our guests, managers and security moved to the lobby to be available to guests and to resolve guest concerns quickly," he said. "Most guests were pleased just to find out the source of the noise; some guests who were unable to enjoy their show were also offered free admission to a future show."
Albrycht said another customer attempted to calm the crowd standing by the exit door by telling patrons about the fireworks.
"If guests chose to exit auditoriums into the parking lot at various sides of our building, they may not have crossed paths with our managers and officers who were talking with guests in the lobby," Nunley said. "We do welcome the opportunity to apologize to any guest who may have left our theatre with unanswered questions."
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