NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Police in major U.S. cities were on alert ahead of the release of the movie "Joker" in theaters, after weeks of publicity about its disturbing portrait of a lonely sufferer. harassment, for fear that it could lead to violence.
"Joker", an original story about Batman's archrival in the comics, stars Joaquin Phoenix. Critics have called it a brilliant but terrifying portrayal of a mentally unstable young loner who achieves unsought fame through an act of violence.
The DC Comics villain was associated with a 2012 mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a screening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises." Families of some of the victims expressed concern about the new film, which will not be shown on screens in that Denver suburb.
Officers wearing helmets and armed with assault rifles guarded the premiere of "Joker" at the New York Film Festival on Wednesday night, while the audience's bags were searched and police dogs were used, images of the event showed .
Police in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago said in statements that, although they were not aware of specific threats, they would deploy additional officers to monitor theaters showing the film.
The website ofHollywood Deadline cited a security official in New York who indicated that there would be plainclothes agents inside some theaters. New York police could not confirm the report.
Two movie theater chains - AMC and Landmark - banned audiences from wearing costumes and masks, while the group Alamo Drafthouse warned parents not to bring their children.
Warner Bros. assured last week that the film does not condone violence in the real world, while the director, Todd Phillips, criticized those who attack the film without having seen it. "I didn't imagine the level of discourse that has been reached in the world, honestly," he said Wednesday, according toVariety.
Additional reporting by Rollo Ross in Los Angeles; edited in Spanish by Carlos Serrano.
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