The manager rolled his frickin eyes? I will never patronize this crappy movie theater again. Apparently human vermin and the usual kind reside there...from a review of the place:

"My favorite memory of this theater is that of people jumping up and leaving due to the high volume of mice. They scurry across you feet. I was extremely afraid to eat my popcorn after witnessing how free they were, and it's like 6 dollars for a small. With the extreme prices they could attempt to exterminate. It was disgusting and horrible. The employees are like "we're sooo embarrassed by the mice" and they very well should be."

They've got a lot to be embarrassed about, yeah. Ashamed too. The manager who rolled his eyes needs to lose his job, like, yesterday.

I am very sorry about what happened to Branden and his boyfriend at the theater and appalled--but not surprised--that the management was not more vigilant.

That the episode led to a full-scale assault is even more frightening although I get shivers even thinking about what happened in the theater.

Going to the movies has become an unpleasant experience (Like I need to tell anyone). Many theatergoers are disrespectful and staff non-existent.

This was a horrible episode of mob mentality. Would any of those creeps have acted that way if they had been alone?
I am ashamed for them and hope the victims get some measure of justice.

One of my last trips to that pit they call a theater was to see one of the Spiderman movies. A fist fight broke out between two guys in different rows. The horrified audience watched but they never stopped the film (it's all automated you know)and the fight continued out in the lobby once they were removed.

Michael, thanks for posting and please follow up with us if you hear from the theater.

There's a link on the Regal Entertainment Group's website that lets you leave an email comment for their customer relations department (theres also a phone #). If you think this theatre manager's behavior is as appalling as I do, then by all means, let Regal know how you feel!

I certainly hope that the victims are busy finding an extra blood sucking attorney or twelve. Maybe contact that woman, what's her name Gloria Allread (sp?). That movie theater is part of a national chain, so there's some money there (ie. you don't bother to sue where there's no money). One of these high profile attorneys will probably take on these guys as clients pro bono. This story will probably make it to the media. No, not to get on t.v. for vanity reasons, but to get this story out there about hate crimes, existing even in downtown quasi hip Manhattan.

I'm extra horrified that they never bothered to ge back to me with a response! Two days ago, I called the theater and asked for the manager. The guy that answered sounded very nervous when I told him I needed a response about an incident there, but he was helpful, saying quotes could only come out of the executive office. He gave me the correct person's info, so I called him and left a message, and never heard back. What wusses!

Ah, for the good old days, when theater managers, ushers and much-feared candy-counter ladies patrolled the aisles and kicked your ass out for even putting your knees on the chair in front of you.
This theater got your money, that's all they care about.
SUE their ass, their corporate ass, the ass of the management and ALL the individuals involved, plus their parents. Get a GOOD attorney and fan yourself on the way out of the courtroom with a nice fat check.

This is why I avoid these chain multiplexes filled with obnoxious young (and not so young) assholes & only go to the Film Forum, Village Cinemas, & Walter Reade.

I was there twice. Once with my younger brother and that was the last time. It's a very terrible movie house. I now visit Kipps Bay instead. The crowd there is mature and older. Not like the kids running around at the Regal and the less than professional staff. That place is a total mess. I'm waiting for the day someone gets killed in that theater, it's just a matter of time.

this kinda shit just pisses me off soo fuckin hard! I want to go down and fuck someone up. I know if I were in that situation I would kicked ass and fought to the death. No more mr nice gay!

What a terrible story. I hope Brendan and his boyfriend are recovering well. I've been to this theater numerous times and have never felt it was particularly well run (on more than one occasion a movie was stopped and had to be restarted, there were issues with sound, etc.), which always struck me as odd given that it's one of the city's most well-known multiplexes. But from what I read above, they handled this incident in a shameful and negligent manner and I hope they are held accountable. The lack of a response from corporate is really telling about where their priorities must lie. Most of all this just makes me sad that a simple harmless show of affection leads to such horrible violence, in downtown Manhattan of all places.

Where's Queer Nation and Act Up when you need them? Seriously, we need a massive protest. Let's see them sell tickets with a lobby full of angry fags and dykes.

James- Your enthusiasm is noted, but can we stop using the words "fags" and "dykes" already? You're only fueling the fire. These people should act respectfully-- its 2009 for God's sake. Let's stop using derogatory 20th century terms to describe ourselves, OK?

It really is a crappy theater all around, and their attitude towards this incident is deplorable. A lawsuit is a good idea, as is some nasty emails - link provided above. Use it!

It's practically impossible to find a decent theater in New York City, outside the independent film houses, that isn't taken over by low lives. On the West Side, aside from the Loews on 34th which is ok, you're always risking it if you want to go watch a mainstream movie. I went to the AMC on 42nd once, and had to leave because of the cell phones ringing and smell of chicken wings. If you want to complain, you better be careful they're not carrying guns. And they charge 12 bucks for a movie now.

Oh well, I guess it's just going to get worse as we head into the recession.

Sounds like the theater is a shithole, and that potential harassment of its patrons by other patrons would not be limited to gay men showing affection to each other.

I haven't been to a movie theater in years. When you think about it, it's not worth it nor necessary, considering the fact that most movie are sub par in quality.

I nearly got into an altercation with a group of teens at the megaplex on 42nd St. They were rowdy and talking the entire movie and when I turned around to look at them out of frustration, they proceeded to verbally attack me and my boyfriend. After the movie was over, they acted like they wanted to fight--yelling and swarming around and calling us "soft" and "faggots" and "homos." My boyfriend warned me not to fight them (I would have) because they might be carrying weapons. He was right, you never know in NYC anymore. Now, I only go to the big theaters during the week. Never on the weekends because the theaters are just full of kids looking for trouble.

I live in the suburbs and I don't even go to the mainstream movie theaters around me anymore. The last two theaters I went to had a police officer stationed in the lobby. To their credit, the theaters were trying to stem the tide of problems but the fact that they felt they needed a constant police presence to do so convinced me that my time for visiting chain theaters had ended.

Hollywood wonders why movie attendance is down? Perhaps they should ask the chains about the behavior of the crowds at the theater.

Heterosexuals are trouble makers.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm putting any blame on the victims - because I'm not - but in general, everybody - gay and straight alike - should take a self-defense workshop. Seriously.

There are good theaters out there. As a general rule, I avoid "destination" movie theaters. Just know your neighborhood and avoid the cross roads of the world. Besides the indi-movie houses, there's also Kipps Bay (2nd Ave. & 32nd St.) and the movie house on 19th St. & Bd'Way which have a nice crowd along with the Clearview (23rd & 8th). Also a good time to visit is the first showing on Sunday mornings.

Musto is GREAT!
But why are you writing him and not picking up your cell phone and calling 911???
Nancy please - You're getting shit during the movie? And you sat there?

You're lucky you didn't grow up in the 80s. You would have died waiting for your hero.

ACT UP! FIGHT BACK! KILL!

big ol boycott
the only way to get em is their wallet

BOYCOTT!

What are the Regal phone numbers to call?

Sue their ghetto asses and let them know that thug behavior is not acceptable.

Movie theaters have become impossible these days...there are only a few I venture to..Battery City, Kips Bay, and the indie theaters. NEVER GO TO THE LOEWS at 42nd Street. It is like a gang riot waiting to happen.

What is missing is any accountability. These kids think they can just act like savages and barbarians and it is okay. It even happened in Florida. These two teen girls threatened a girl in front of them in the middle of the movie and nearly started a riot. The next thing I knew people were screaming and yelling at each other across the theater.

I know after the whole Post cartoon thing this is so taboo and we are so racially sensitive but most of the teens starting problems in the city are black.
I'm sorry...I just don't see as many out of control Asian or white kids.

And to the guy above who said not to fight back that is smart. They have brought knives to 42nd Street before.

@ Andy: Really? I am gay and I have been treated with slurs and threats of physical violence from white kids, egged on by their own parents in my neighborhood in NY! Gays get it from all people-- blacks, whites, asians, whoever. I remember a few years ago a gay guy was killed in the subway station--knocked down the stairs and beaten with a baseball bat--by a couple of white, 20 something, guys. It is the attitude of New Yorkers-we are some of the most intolerant group of people in this country, while telling lies about being liberal.

This is why we have EVERY RIGHT (regardless of 'law') to carry weapons for self-defense. We cannot rely on ANYONE to defend us in a country where our family's rights are up for popular vote.

GAYS, GUNS, and SELF-DEFENSE
http://gaytaxprotest.blogspot.com/2009/01/gays-and-self-defense-post-prop-8.html

UPDATE:

At 5:28 PM today, I finally got a response from the marketing & communications director of Regal Cinemas. He emailed me wanting to know exactly what incident I was inquiring about. I immediately sent him the complete info and asked for his comment. He hasn't answered back!!!!!

Is that the Regal exec in Tennessee named -- I kid you not -- Dick Westerling?

(What, pray tell, is your porn name if your family and friends and CPA call you Dick Westerling?)

This sounds like something Regal Cinemas would totally do. They have turned into a Commercial H-Bomb.

My question is what movie did you see? Sounds a bit benign but I wonder what got those arseholes to be so militant if it was not some testosterone-inducing Jerry Bruckheimer pic.

Such a sad commentary on human behavior and I hope those boys are prosecuted and given time to think about their mistakes. Despicable behavior and our thoughts go out to the lovely gay couple who was assaulted.

Glad the victims filed a police report, that will help them both in court and with Regal management. And since they seem to know the identity of the assailants, they should be getting response.

The Union Square Theater has to be one of Regal's highest grossing buildings in the nation. More competent local management and stronger security is within financial reach.

These attackers are clearly in the minority among their generational peers. Perhaps a spell in the slammer will help open their eyes.

Guaranteed at least one of these attacking boys will be a closet case.

This will not be tolerated. These under age A>H> should be thrown into the pound. It's incredible how in this day and age we are still dealing with insecurities of people that wish they could do the same but were taught to hate... homophobia is an issue people have. Ignorance is highly dangerous.

Ah, but there is a catch. A hitch in the narrative step, if you will. While Shawn and Nick are, initially, pleased to bake the biscuits, they soon tire of the vagina merry-go-round. The cheek of so much ass soon loses its luster, like fine shellfish at a Red Lobster all you can eat buffet.

Please call or write to let Regal Management know this is unacceptable:

Regal Entertainment Group Corporate Offices
7132 Regal Lane
Knoxville, TN 37918

Customer Service (!) M-F: 1-877-835-5734

Another reason I'm glad I moved from NYC to California last year.

Why isn't this on NY1?

While white kids are no angels, I think we can all agree that it's mostly the blacks who cause trouble at theaters. You get a group of them together and they lose what little self control they had in the first place.

I'm glad I saw Friday the 13th the weekend it premiered because another "Madea" movie came out a week later. You know who comes out for that freakshow. I'll be avoiding the theaters like the plague for the next couple weeks until their done watching there shiny new movie.

Wow, Frederick, you managed to misuse they're/their/there twice in one sentence. Racist AND illiterate - impressive!

Greg is right: Why isn't this on NY1?

This shows that bad economic times leads to bad behavior. This calls for a ban on that theater. Its management needs to be fired, NOW. Noone of any humanity should patronize that theater until it's under new management.

Community service for these thugs. The kind with the orange vest, closely supervised. I don't want my tax dollars paying to house and feed them in prison, where they will harden even worse.

Any news on a protest? Back when Prop 8 passed in Cali there was this big pronouncement: the new generation of gay leadership is born. Look at them in the streets! Have we heard from or seen any of them since they made their after-the-fact protest (a sign of visionary leadership if ever there was).

Who's up for a protest? Is there any way to get this story verified? If so, we should plan a picket outside this theater one evening this week. I can very likely get it publicized on Perez Hilton to gather participants. If a cartoon in the NYPost elicits protests all over the city, this assault sure as hell should!

protest, shit! i'd take a gun and fire a round into those sorry ass n*****s. anyone see "the brave one"?? that's what nyc needs more of.

This news is horrifying. Thanks for posting the corporate numbers to contact. But frankly - where are the city politicians on this incident?

Can Rosie Mendez, District 2 City Council member help? Her number is 212-677-1077. She seems very committed to protecting the rights of the gay community.

Ray is right, this vermin-filled hate emporium has to be Regal's flagship theater and for sure rakes in the most cash. I know I sent an email to them the day this item appeared on the blog. They are probably investigating internally. If you get some kind of a statement out of them, I wouldn't be surprised. This is horrendous. A relative of one of their employees (who does nothing to stop them) sends a gay couple to the hospital by going after them with boxcutters in Chelsea.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=502251646&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=78261232432&ref=mf

a boycott group has been started, if anyone is interested in joining. Facebook is not necessarily the most respected website, but it is a good communication device.

What are we really surprised about? As a New Yorker I try to avoid anything near Times Square... ghetto uneducated people both adult and young all full of themselves and their backwardness and in reality many blacks but also whites and latinos. The problem with New York CIty is that it has become a city of very rich and poor. The middle class with some upbringing can't afford to live here we don't make millino or get Food Stamps and Section 8. The only movie theater I can stand is the Lowes/Imax at Broadway and 68th I believe because generally most people have manners.

If Regal is watching your lax enforcement of common decency has made this weekly movie goer prefer Netflix and only attend theaters about every two months. I just won't tolerate it anymore.

A boycott is not an effective way to get our point across to Regal Entertainment or the general public.

But large groups of angry LGBT people disrupting every movie playing throughout the day would.

Consider it.

Regal Entertainment does not care about our safety.

Security is lax.

Let's take advantage of this opportunity.

AND STAGE MASSIVE NOISY ACTIONS INSIDE THE THEATERS!

ALL NEXT WEEKEND.

EVERY MOVIE.

ALL SHOWINGS!



Could be fun...

Kick some legal ass. SUE the crap out of Regal. Call the Dept. of Health and report the rodent infestation. Boycott the Company. Get a very good attorney. And sue the boys and their parents. That'll show their violent,ignorant asses. The sorry losers. They're probably deep closet cases anyway. Might be corn holing each other ..They'll be popular in prison.

I surprised that no one seems to be bringing up the fact the Regal Cinemas (as well as Edwards and United Artists theatres) are owned by Philip Anschutz - a extreme Right Wing supporter who has given much money to anti-gay and anti-choice movements.

If you are gay and just go to a Regal Theatre you are, in a way, economically bashing yourself.

So many racist jack*sses posting on here! How do you know the attackers of these guys were "black" or "n*****s"? (And to Frederick, racist and moronic is no way to go through life!) As the last poster says, ANY GAY OR BI OR TRANS PERSON who patronizes a theater owned by right-wing, anti-gay fanatic Philip Anschuetz is hurting herself or himself by helping to enrich this monster. So rather than slagging off on an entire race of people, why not stop lining the pockets of right-wingers who want to destroy you? And next time, call the freaking POLICE as soon as you start to get harrassed! Don't take BS, and fight back!

I suggest that Branden send his story to The Consumerist (tips@consumerist.com) to bring broader attention to the management's nonfeasance.

this is so incredibly sad.
in union square??
i live right near there and am affectionate with my boyfriend all the time. this is 2008!!!
those ignorant losers are obviously gay themselves.
i hope they are prosecuted and raped in jail.

I was at the same theater a few weeks ago and this guy who was clearly out of his mind wouldn't stop laughing and making comments throughout the entire movie. People around us started to tell him to shut up, and he got louder and threatened. He also had a kid with him and halfway through the movie the kid disappeared. I really wonder where the kid went. We had no idea what to do, so y friend sat still the entire movie. At he end as people were leaving we turned around he flashed a KNIFE at my friend and I--we screamed and but he ran out of the theater. We told security but they didn't seem to care and acted if we were lying. I will NEVER go back to that theater.

It is not owned by one guy. It is a publicly traded company. He is a member of the board. If you haven't gotten a response yet, it is probably because due to lawyers and the fact that every thing said could be used against the company so they have to make sure even when comforting someone, they don't say anything incriminating. They do seem negligent and would be liable for damages. Do you have witnesses? Why are you talking to a marketing person? You should be talking to a risk management person.

i love you liberals! you are willing to die rather than admit the truth: all the "youths" you are talking about are black or possibly Latino. if they were white, you would have called them "Italian thugs" or "prep school assholes." love it! you people would rather be victimized in your own city than say what any black person will tell you: they hate gays. they cannot even call themselves gay when they are. a guy i spoke to told me about "dlb" and "msm". these same guys would cut you in the theater. i grew up in a town with a theater as our only entertainment. blacks were always being ejected for talking and causing trouble. i can only imagine what they would have done to out gays. i hid the ID of the gays i knew in high school to spare them attacks. the gays knew that football players could care less; the brothers would care.
"racist"? please.
you guys are rearranging your deck chairs on the Titanic.

Posters like Barry--

These are the same people who always take an opportunity to spew racist bull.

These are the same fags who wouldn't associate or date someone who wasn't white.

According to our Attorney General, we're all "cowards" who voluntarily segregate ourselves on the weekends.

Have to say, that while it is sad that people have had bad experiences at some of these theaters, the racism in this post is unbelievable! Don't get me started on the assumption on the race of the assailants.

"I just can't stand those ghetto folks, they talk during the movie." "Oh uh, they are bringing chicken wings into the theater."

Is this Alabama in 1956? Is it time for Manhattan to start having separate theaters for "ghetto folks," and "non ghetto folks." Lets petition Bloomberg that Kipps Bay will now be designated as the "White Theater," AMC Lowes 34th and 42nd Street will be for the "Colored Folks."

I just read where Regal responded. Check it out.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/archives/2009/02/regal_cinema_re.php#more

I despise, DESPISE!!!! going to the movies in new york city. In fact when i have finally been talked into going to a movie I generally spend my day dreading it, and end up canceling. Frankly i am not surprised by managements response. It so sad. My heart goes out to these boys.

Not for nothing, but I hate that movie theater. It brings out all of the dregs of humanity. A much more friendlier place to the cause is the Clearview on 23rd.

It's such a disgusting shame that these ridiculously evil assholes did this, got away with it, and probably felt completely fine after doing it. Have people no guilt or remorse?

prove it.

This article and incident is not unusual to me (NYC resident) and my friend who was visiting NYC for the first time from Atlanta. I was at the Regal Theater on 42nd street in Times Square on Friday the 13th to see the movie "Friday The 13th" I was called a faggot many times I was slapped in the theater, had ice thrown at me and when I attempted to leave during the movie I was violently chased out of the theater by the African American that assaulted me. I had to run through the theater yelling for security. I had to scale the refreshment counter and climb on top of a refrigerator to protect myself and the guy had to be held back by SEVERAL people. I had to DEMAND that the police be called...Management made me go into a back room to wait for the police and the guy was allowed to return to the movie!!! The police came and even though there were MULTIPLE witnesses willing to tell what they had seen regarding the assualt and words of HATE. THE POLICE DID NOTHING (other than a report) there reasoning was that I had no marks or blood present and they had not seen it so they could do nothing. the guy was allowed to leave while I was detained longer. I even had to witness the MANAGER of the theater SHAKE THE MAN'S HAND!!! I had to DEMAND a police escort out of the theater and DEMAND that he wait until we were safely in a cab. The worst part was being LAUGHED AT by the other theater goers in our movie as it let out and they passed by us.

I am very saddened to hear about these guys and their awful ordeal. I very much believe that this situation needs some serious attention. I would appreciate you forwarding my info to these guys in an effort to provide the support/witness they might need to pursue the legal action against Regal Cinemas. While my incident did not send me or my friend to the hospital, it was no less violent in nature and do believe that if I had not taken such dramatic efforts to protect myself and my friend, we would be telling a similar story. I believe this is a growing epidemic in our city’s theaters and nothing is being done to address it. I thank you for your efforts in publishing and bringing light to this horrific situation.