Kinepolis overwhelmed by Film Days audience

Kinepolis cinema multiplex in Brussels had to be evacuated over the weekend when it was overrun by cinemagoers hoping to take advantage of a cheap ticket offer. When around 4,000 people turned up on Saturday afternoon, the last day of the BNP Paribas Fortis Film Days promotion, the management decided that it was safest to cancel the final two shows of the evening and close the building.

According to press reports, overcrowding was not the only trouble. Violent incidents left several windows in the multiplex damaged or broken. La Dernière heure reported that two young women were injured and left the site by ambulance.

"Clearly some people came with bad intentions, but this was an isolated case," said Anneleen Van Troos, a Kinepolis spokesperson, in a widely reported statement. "The only possible decision on Saturday night was to close the complex." The cinema opened for business as usual on Sunday.

Meanwhile Le Soir reported that police had to be called to the Kinepolis in Braine-l’Alleud when a fight broke out between two women claiming the same €4 seat.

Organisers of the Film Days will now investigate the incidents and see how future editions of the promotion can be changed to avoid similar problems.