A screening of the horror movie Other Mommy descended into chaos after a fight over seats escalated into punches, hair-pulling, and pepper spray, forcing moviegoers to evacuate the theater.
The incident occurred on October 14 at a Las Tipas cinema inside the Paso del Paraná shopping center in Paraná, Argentina, where around 50 people were watching the horror film, known locally as Mamá Siniestra.
According to Need To Know, the confrontation began when a group of women arrived after the movie had started and discovered other people occupying their assigned seats.
When they asked the moviegoers to move, an argument broke out that eventually turned physical, with women throwing punches, kicking, and pulling each other’s hair.
Moviegoers evacuated after woman unleashes pepper spray
Speaking to local news outlet Elonce, witness Sofía Alberto explained that cinema employees initially attempted to calm the situation, but the arguing continued.
After around 20 minutes, one of the women allegedly grabbed Sofía’s friend by the hair and began attacking her, prompting others to intervene.
“As people were helping us pull them apart, one of the women pulled out the pepper spray and started spraying everyone,” Sofía said.
“We all started coughing and our eyes began to sting, so we got out of the cinema and they stopped the film.”
The pepper spray quickly spread throughout the enclosed theater, affecting other moviegoers, including children and elderly people.
According to Argentine outlet TN, several people experienced breathing difficulties and eye irritation, while one woman suffered a head injury that required stitches.
The cinema was forced to evacuate every screening room in the complex, with management subsequently offering refunds or replacement tickets to affected customers.
Police later detained a 51-year-old woman and her 27-year-old daughter in the shopping center’s parking lot as they were apparently preparing to leave.
Officers seized a pepper spray canister believed to have been used during the confrontation.
On October 15, a judge imposed 30-day restrictions preventing the two women from approaching or contacting the victims and their families while the investigation continues.
This isn’t the first time a movie theater dispute has resulted in a pepper spray attack. In September, a man was arrested after allegedly pepper-spraying a moviegoer who refused to stop using his cellphone during a screening in California.
