A Canadian chain of multiplexes has pulled a major Indian film from its theatres after they were violently targeted by unidentified persons.
The agency Canadian Press cited a spokesperson for Cineplex as saying the chain was ceasing its screenings of the Malayalam movie Malaikottai Vaaliban due to circumstances beyond their control.
That announcement came a day after York Regional Police (YRP) said that it was investigating “drive-by shootings at movie theatres” in the cities of Richmond Hill and Vaughan, both in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA.
In a release on Tuesday, YRP said on January 24, police responded to a theatre in Richmond Hill “after an employee arrived for work and found the windows had been shot at.” The same day, police also “responded to a similar call” in Vaughan.
“The suspects are being linked to both occurrences in York Region and to similar shootings that occurred at cinemas in Toronto and Peel Region the same night,” the release stated. Those theatres were in Scarborough and Brampton.
“Investigators believe the incidents were targeted due to their similarities; all the cinemas were closed and occurred in the early morning hours,” it added.
Police sought information from the public or any person who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area. to come forward.
{{/usCountry}}Police sought information from the public or any person who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area. to come forward.
{{/usCountry}}Cineplex removed listings for the film from its website.
This is the second time recently that screenings of an Indian film have been disrupted. On December 5, hundreds of moviegoers attending screenings of Hindi films at three different cinema locations in the GTA had to be evacuated following an unidentified substance being sprayed within the theatres. These incidents occurred at multiplexes in Toronto, Vaughan and Brampton. Whether it was the same film being screened or different Hindi films was not revealed by law enforcement.
“Police are investigating after hundreds of moviegoers were evacuated from three separate theatres in the GTA on Tuesday night following reports of substances being leaked into the buildings,” a release from YRP at the time said.