Waking up Friday to news of the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting was a shock. It was nearly impossible to properly process that 14 — police later moved the count down to 12 — fatalities were suffered in any type of shooting. It was even more difficult to accept that this was at the midnight showing for arguably the biggest movie of the year: “The Dark Knight Rises.”

In total, there were 70 victims, making it one of the largest mass shooting in American history.

Immediately afterward, people began to wonder how it would influence box office sales. That was a pretty capitalist thing of us to do. Luckily, Warner Bros. and other studios decided to respectfully withhold last weekend’s totals — for a few days.

“TDKR” made $161 million in its weekend debut, including the $12.50 I shelled out Sunday to see the end of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy.

For some, the total may have been expected, but I was shocked. Even though I was one of them, it’s amazing that so many people braved their fears to see if the Dark Knight did in fact rise.

Despite the high weekend total, suspected shooter James Holmes has shattered the innocence and joy associated with movie theaters. He took away one of the most innocuous parts of American culture and turned it against us. During the Great Depression, people spent hours at the movies to escape their problems — not deal with them head on.

Before Friday, no one really took note of the fact that a theater was just a dark room packed with strangers. But after a mass shooting, it becomes pretty clear just how threatening that sounds.

Somehow, the movie theater grew into one of the few socially accepted safe spaces. The worst behavior endured at the movies is a loud talker or an avid texter. It’s unlikely that anyone would try to mug you in the middle of “The Lorax.” A catcall and a shove are both pretty rare. Everyone just wants to enjoy the movie.

But waiting in line Sunday didn’t fill me with the ease and excitement I usually feel before a movie. Instead, I was panicky and terrified to sit down. Surrounded by comfy chairs and popcorn, I tried to figure out the quickest exit from the theater.

It was hopeless to try relaxing during the first gun-filled scene in the movie. I so desperately wanted to enjoy it, and all I could think about was the events in Aurora.

Afterward, I was pretty worried I was the only one imagining these worst-case scenarios. But when I talked with my friends, I realized we were all in the same paranoia-filled boat for those three hours.

I sat through the movie because I didn’t want to let the suspected shooter win. And if I couldn’t enjoy a fantastically well-done movie, his terror tactics would’ve spread all the way from Colorado to the East Coast. I wouldn’t let that happen.

Ariana Romero is a junior magazine journalism and political science major. Her column appears every week. She can be reached at akromero@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @ArianaRomero17.

Published on July 25, 2012 at 2:36 pm