A Wenatchee, Washington theater’s roof collapsed on a couple during a screening of Captain America: Brave New World on Tuesday night. Thankfully, few attendees attended the showing, reducing the risk of injury. The Wenatchee Valley Fire Department responded around 8 p.m. and pulled the unharmed viewers from the wreckage. No one was hurt, but the fire department will continue to investigate the cause of the disaster.
Couple Uninjured After Captain America Theater Collapse
Liberty Cinema is a relatively small multiplex in scenic downtown Wenatchee, Washington. It sports eight screens, beer on tap, and a charming old-fashioned marquee. On Tuesday, February 25, one of those theater screens featured Captain America: Brave New World. The two attendees described their experience to Battalion Chief Cam Phillips, who related it to Seattle’s KING5. Phillips explained, “They heard some pops and cracking, and the gentleman stood up and took a peek.” The viewer looked up to see a crumbling roof, calling his girlfriend to run away. The fire department found said girlfriend under a considerable pile of debris, but she remained uninjured. Liberty Cinema is over a century old, and its last renovation was in the 1970s, leading Phillips to wager a guess at what went wrong. He blames the drop ceiling, but a full investigation may reveal a more complex cause.
The fact that there were only two people in the theater for Captain America: Brave New World isn’t a shock. This screening came 11 days after the film’s premiere, entering into a conversation about theatrical staying power. Like most modern movies, Cap suffered a drastic second-weekend drop in sales. It’s the third worst decline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after The Marvels and the third Ant-Man. Conversely, this was a Tuesday-night screening at a small theater. It’s not weird to see screenings of blockbusters with almost no viewers these days. The sudden collapse of a theater will become increasingly less dangerous as fewer people turn up. Still speaking to KING, Phillips gave thanks for the timing of the collapse. He was grateful to see a Saturday night crowd spared this potential disaster. The current theater ecosystem leaves plenty of room for multiplexes to crumble without issue.
The sudden collapse of a screening room during a Marvel movie presents a striking image. Phillips was right; this could have been a far worse event if it occurred during a more popular moment. Thankfully, the theater ceiling picked a very underpopulated showing to drop during. Maybe the next disaster will have the courtesy to occur in a completely empty room.
