By Srijita Chakraborty
While The Conjuring: Last Rites continues to break box office records, in Pune, it also broke the peace, which goes to show how much spoilers matter to audiences. A movie screening of The Conjuring: Last Rites in Pune turned violent on Tuesday night as a dispute took place over film spoilers, resulting in a physical brawl. This left the couple injured, prompting police intervention.
According to police, a 29-year-old software engineer, along with his wife and sister, objected to another moviegoer loudly narrating the storyline to his wife at a multiplex in Pimpri Chinchwad. The accused, who was identified as a Vallabhnagar resident, allegedly began hurling abuses after being asked to stop. The dispute quickly escalated from verbal to physical after the interval when the accused physically attacked the complainant, dragging him by the collar and repeatedly kicking him.
“When the complainant’s wife tried to intervene, the accused and his wife also assaulted and abused her,” said sub-inspector S.J. Mohite of Chinchwad police station. The techie sustained minor injuries and later lodged a complaint.
A case has been registered under sections 117 (abetting offence in public), 115 (abetment), and 352 (assault) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). However, no arrests have been made so far and police stated that a search for the accused couple is underway.
The altercation shows the intensity of fan sentiment surrounding the final film in the Conjuring horror franchise, starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Directed by Michael Chaves, the film has grossed over Rs 60 crore in its opening weekend, which is the biggest-ever start for a horror film in the country. Globally, it raked in $194 million in three days and surpassed the opening weekend record of It (2017).