There is nothing funny about the controversies surrounding Warner Brothers' "Joker" movie.
The $55 million film about the rise of Batman's clown-faced arch rival, is forcing Landmark Theatres, the country's largest independent cinema chain, to extending its ban on face masks and toy weapons to include movie-goers wearing any costumes during the film's theatrical run.
Since the 2012 shooting at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado, most movie theaters across the country have not allowed customers or employees to wear face masks and face paint or to carry toy weapons. Body costumes, however, have generally been allowed. "The Dark Knight Rises" featured Batman squaring off against the Joker.
Families of the victims from that shooting have also been asking the Burbank-based studio to take special precautions with the release of this movie including not showing the movie at the theater where the shooting took place seven years ago.
Five families sent a letter to new Warner CEO Ann Sarnoff asking her and the studio "to be a part of the growing chorus of corporate leaders who understand that they have a social responsibility to keep us all safe."
That letter asked for parent company AT&T to cease donating to politicians who take money from the National Rifle Association and for Warner to make donations to groups that aid victims of gun violence. The response outraged those who sent the letter.
“Together with other survivors of the 2012 Aurora shooting, we wrote @warnerbros to express the grief and concern stirred up by their new Joker film. Quite frankly, we found their response lacking,” tweeted Sandy Phillips whose daughter was killed in the mass shooting.
The studio response: “Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies,” Warner Bros. said adding, "Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bipartisan legislation to address this epidemic."
In 2012, Warner Bros. donated $1 million-plus to the charities supporting victims of the Aurora shooting.
Cinemark, which owns the Century Aurora Theater where the mass shooting occurred., reportedly has no plans to show "Joker."
Still, the movie has raised concerns. Earlier this week the military newspaper "Stars and Stripes" reported that military commanders in Oklahoma were warned of the potential threat of violence at the theatrical release of the upcoming “Joker” movie, though law enforcement officials are not sure which theaters may be affected.