Blue Story: Vue cinemas ‘CATEGORICALLY’ deny banning movie screenings due to race issues
Blue Story was banned from Vue cinemas following a brawl at their Birmingham location at the weekend. Now, director Rapman, real name Andrew Owubolu, has said there was “no connection” between his movie and the fight. “They were just in a cinema apparently for Frozen [2] but then they pinned it on Blue Story,” he told BBC News.
“And then you start thinking, is there hidden reasons there? What’s the owner like? Has he got an issue with young urban youth?” he asked. “Is he prejudiced? Does he believe that this film brings a certain type? Is there a colour thing?
“You start thinking of all these things, and it was an upsetting time,” the filmmaker said.
Vue denied the decision to pull Blue Story was in any way based on race, with a spokesperson telling the BBC: “No. Categorically not.”
They said the movie had been banned from their cinemas after 25 incidents reported by staff concerning people watching or attempting to watch the film, “either in screen, leaving the screening, heading into the screening, or purchasing tickets in the foyer”.
Blue Story: Rapman spoke out on Vue’s decision to ban the movie from their cinemas (Image: BBC • PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
Blue Story: The movie has been pulled from Vue cinemas following ‘significant incidents’ (Image: PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
The cinema chain’s policy defines “significant incidents” as one involving one of more of: illegal activity; harassment, intimidation or any other form of threatened violence towards staff or customers; public disorder which inhibits the continued safe operation of a site; activity or event which requires security, medical, fire or police intervention.
The spokesperson said Vue had put a range of measures in place, including increased security and cancelling late-night showings, but “continued to see significant problems”.
Vue’s founder and chief executive Tim Richards said reports those involved in incidents at the cinema were there to see Frozen 2 — and not Blue Story — were “simply not true”.
He emphasised that the company “do not condone any for of violence, abuse of our staff or customers or discrimination in any form”, adding that he has “spent his career championing diversity in the industry”.
Blue Story: Vue ‘categorically’ denied the decision was in any way related to race (Image: PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
Richards said he had never seen a “nationwide issue” affecting a number of cinemas in a short space of time in his 30 years working in cinema.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Blue Story director Rapman said: “They say there’s been a number of incidents, but where’s the proof? Where’s the evidence? Where?
“We live in a camera generation now. If anything happens, the youth are going to film that and you will see it. How come we haven’t seen any footage off the rest of these incidents?
“I feel like that was just something to say to cover their decision, which already wasn’t justified because the incident had no connection to Blue Story,” he added.
DON’T MISS…
Frozen 2: Hair is EVERYTHING – Elsa’s loose style means change ahead [FEATURE]
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker EXCLUSIVE: Franchise star talks cameo [EXCLUSIVE]
James Bond: Daniel Craig evades SPOILERS in awkward encounter [INTERVIEW]
Showcase cinemas originally pulled Blue Story from showings but has since brought it back.
Meanwhile, Odeon and Cineworld have continued to show it.
“The decision to withdraw Blue Story was not an easy one and has left all of us at Vue shocked and saddened to be in this position,” Vue chief executive said in a statement. “We have been in long talks with the distributor throughout and we have spoken to the producers. We have also gone to lengths to talk to the director directly, but sadly to no avail.”
“We are disappointed that this film is no longer on our screens, but we have a duty of care to our staff and our customers to ensure that their safety is not compromised,” he continued. “We immediately put in place the additional security measures that other cinema operators have now also found themselves implementing but we were still not satisfied the risk had been reduced to an acceptable level.
“I have never misunderstood the power of any art form and this film is not alone in its impact. However, in over 30 years of working in cinema exhibition in the UK, I have never seen a nationwide issue like this affecting so many cinemas in such a short space of time.
“Group incidents started at 10am on a Friday morning throughout the UK, including small local cinemas, ending at midnight and then this started again at 10am on Saturday morning, ending at 10pm on Saturday evening – across 16 of our cinemas alone.
“We have reviewed and assessed each and every incident in detail as part of our ongoing process of making decisions as to how we could possibly keep Blue Story on our screens. We are not alone in this process and know that screenings of Blue Story are also being reviewed, reduced or withdrawn by other operators in a number of locations for the same reasons,” the statement continued.
“Our reports also showed that Blue Story attracted a very young audience. The media has reported widely on the age of those attending cinemas, incorrectly associating their attendance with other movies. This is simply not true. A younger audience were attempting to purchase tickets for other movies to access the Blue Story screenings and were also resisting requests for ID. This also played a key role in incidents and our decision.
“Importantly, I want to make clear that at Vue we do not condone any form of violence, abuse of our staff or customers or discrimination in any form. We provide an entertainment venue to people of all walks of life and our cinemas should be a safe haven for families and friends alike to enjoy their time together.
“We wholeheartedly agree that the issues that have arisen are not about the film, but neither are they about Vue. I have spent my career championing diversity in the industry working with institutions dedicated to British and independent film and worked closely as a director of BSAC, Film London, Skillset, BFI and BAFTA as part of this. We play over 500 titles a year in a range of diverse content. We are in the business of showing movies, not withdrawing movies.
“It is clear that our decision has acted as a significant catalyst for a much-needed national conversation,” he concluded.
You may be interested
Slot Gacor: Ketahui Keuntungan dan Cara Menangnya!
jokuntul - Nov 23, 2024Dalam dunia perjudian online, nama slot gacor pasti sudah tidak asing lagi di telinga para pemain. Slot gacor adalah istilah…
You can easily disassemble this repairable smartwatch using just a Phillips screwdriver
admin - Nov 22, 2024[ad_1] The Spectra is a new smartwatch designed from the ground up to be hackable and easy to repair. It…
Ed Sheeran 'helped Ipswich sign player' before appearing with Taylor Swift
admin - Nov 22, 2024[ad_1] Ed Sheeran helped Ipswich Town to sign a player over the summer just before getting on stage with Taylor…
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
