Aurora Families Reject Cinemark’s Invitation To Theater Reopening
In a letter to Cinemark, the relatives of nine victims call the offer “disgusting.”
In a letter to Cinemark, the relatives of nine victims call the offer “disgusting.”
The invite to do a remembrance for the victims families was a thoughtful act on the theaters’ part…what screwed it all up was offering them all a free movie viewing (and asking them to not forget to reserve seats?!?!) afterwards, as if this was some kind of party. People mourning their loved ones are not going to want to hang around the same place their loved ones died, let alone watch a movie there. The theatre may was well be saying to the families: “Your loved ones will always be remembered after this horrible tragedy. Now in theatre 5 we will be showing Django: Unchained and Les Miz in theatre 2. Popcorn and courtesy sized soda are available in the lobby. Obviously, free of charge.” Patronizing.
Where is the photo of the invitation? I think showing respect to the victims before reopening sounds nice. If they had just opened up, business as usual, without a word I would think that to be more insensitive. I understand the families are grieving, but they should not use it as an excuse to lash out at someone extanding a well-meaning gesture. I’m sorry for their losses, but all I see is a bunch of assholes until I know what the invitation looked like.
Given the circumstances of the closure, perhaps a quiet and dignified reopening would have been preferable? I don’t believe they intended the offence which has clearly been taken, but a cynical person might suppose (however incorrectly) that the cinema was attempting to make capital out of the incident. I believe it was well meant, but not the best idea in practice.
That letter could be a wonderful lesson to grammar educators everywhere. “You has shown, and continues to show…” Yikes.
It’s fine for them to reopen the theater but to think that those families would want to step anywhere near there is what is idiotic.
I think it actually would have been of poorer taste for them to not extend a hand to the families. They are trying to persecute the theatre as if they were the ones who caused the tragedy. To honor the fallen is not a crime… I don’t understand why they’re so angry at the theatre. But I am also not a grieving family member. I wouldn’t know how I would react.
It’s interesting to me that Alex Sullivan’s widow is against this invitation because Tom Sullivan (his father) wrote a very eloquent and touching letter to the Denver Post about why he WILL be attending. I recommend everyone read it. Just go to Denverpost.com and search his name. I think he was able to put into words the feelings may of us in the community share. We do not want to get over it. We simply want to move forward.
I have no problem with them reopening the theater in theory, I just think that they’ll learn quickly what the effect will be on the audience who’s willing to go in there. That said, that invitation was *incredibly* tacky.
There’s nothing wrong with them reopening the theater, I agree with you on that, but inviting the relatives of the victims was tacky as all hell.
Not inviting the families would have been viewed as even more tacky. And releasing this letter to the media (which surely had to have been done by the families) was also pretty tacky.
What a bunch of nihilistic disgusting perverts! You might as well have been the ones shooting their family members or even worse…. voted for filthy republican scumbags who passed the laws allowing nutbags to get the guns in the first place! I mean hey, at least give them some of your corrupt money you goddam sons of outlaws!!!!
Cinemark should have just opened. Business as usual. No need for a ceremony. They’re a business, condolences were given and tears were shed. But at the end of the day the world keeps spinning. Cinemark should let the families be and families should not expect anything else from the establishment. Only time will heal.
Cinemark is a franchised corporation. To expect “it” to show emotion is akin to poetic personification. The corporate entity would like to reach out in some way, which is perhaps appropriate … or not (I’m not one to say, as I am not a PR person). Cinemark is a business, not the villain - he’s behind bars.
Wow, fuck Cinemark. What makes them think that they would set foot in that theater? That invitation was in VERY poor taste.
First, should they have not invited the families? Second, how do know the invitation was in “VERY poor taste.” We don’t know what the invitation looked like or the circumstances of it. All we have is the families side of this story (families that released a complaint letter the media… which I can only assume they did to get attention)
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