Theatre ceiling collapses during Captain America: Brave New World' screening in Washington

The ceiling of a cinema hall collapsed on Tuesday night in Washington during the screening of superhero film Captain America: Brave New World.

The incident took place at the Liberty Cinema in downtown Wenatchee, when the ceiling of the theatre collapsed onto the audience, NBC News quoted local officials as saying.

What happened?

The Wenatchee Fire Department responded to the collapse at the venue around 8 PM (local time) on Tuesday. At the time of the incident, two people remained present inside the theatre and nobody got injured.


On Facebook, Wenatchee Valley Firefighters shared a video of the Liberty Cinema post the incident, highlighting the damage.

"The cause of the collapse remains under investigation," it stated.

The incident was reported during the screening of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film.

Upon arriving at the spot, the fire department officials found two people in attendance.

"Talk about an interactive movie experience... just not the kind you want" the Wenatchee Fire Department said.

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Aftermath of the incident

In the video and photographs shared by the fire department, the film can still be seen projected on the screen, while a heap of ceiling tiles and planks could be seen covering the front side of the theatre.

In a statement to NBC News, Sun Basin Theatres, the owner of Liberty Cinema in Wenatchee, stated that the incident was totally "unexpected."

Spokesperson Bryan Cook said they were "grateful" to see that nobody got injured in the incident that occurred on Tuesday evening.

In order to "ensure a thorough investigation" into the matter, Cook side that the team at the theatre was working closely with the local authorities.

Couple survives incident

During the incident, a couple remained present at the venue, Wenatchee Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Cam Phillips said.

Phillips told King5 that the couple, at first, heard some "pops and cracking".

Thereafter, the man stood up to take a closer look at what happened. Once he walked up toward the screen and started looking up, the man quickly shouted, "Run!"

However, his girlfriend had little time to react when the ceiling started falling down around her. Soon after, she was left covered in debris in her seat, Phillips stated.

The official said that it was "really fortunate" that the ceiling collapse incident did not take place on a Friday or a Saturday night, when the theater remains full house most of the time.

An investigation into the matter is currently underway, while the cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained.

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FAQs

1. When did Captain America: Brave New World release in cinemas?
The Julius Onah directorial was released on February 14.

2. Who all feature in the superhero film?
It stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore and Harrison Ford among others.