A live bat was released during a showing of The Batman in Austin, Texas, the prank forcing theater management to pause the film and attempt to remove the animal.
Staff at the Moviehouse & Eatery acted swiftly at the Friday screening, once they realized an audience member for the superhero blockbuster, which stars the British actor Robert Pattinson, had released the bat, reported KXAN, a local NBC affiliate.
Video of the incident showed the bat flying around the theater as audience members remained seated.
Movie staff made several attempts to remove the bat from the showing but were unsuccessful. Animal control officers were summoned.
“Local animal control was immediately contacted, and they have been overseeing the situation to ensure guest, associate and animal safety,” Heidi Deno, general manager for Moviehouse & Eatery, told KXAN.
The theater offered refunds, an attendee told KXAN, but the majority of audience members opted to stay and watch the movie, “bat and all”.
There were no reports of anyone being bitten or otherwise unduly traumatized by the flying furry intruder. As the Associated Press reported, less than 1% of bats in the wild have rabies.
Deno said: “To ensure a prank like this does not again occur, we will be adding additional security and checking all bags upon guest entry.”
