Cineworld cancels Blue Story screenings after stabbing in Nottingham

Cinema franchise is third to cancel showings following violence

Police were called to Cineworld in Nottingham at 8.17pm on Sunday (Google)

Several showings of Blue Story have been cancelled in Nottingham’s Cineworld after a stabbing occurred in the cinema.

Listings for Blue Story on Tuesday were removed from the Cineworld website following orders from the police, but there are still showings scheduled later in the week that will go ahead.

Cineworld told the Independent: "Cineworld can confirm that we were required by Nottinghamshire Police to close screens 9-14 this morning during their investigation.

"However, this investigation did not affect our ability to operate and customers can still purchase tickets for showings of Blue Story this evening, tomorrow and throughout the week. We currently have no plans to cancel any of these screenings."

The cinema franchise also cancelled showings of Frozen 2, Last Christmas, and Charlie's Angels during the investigation.

A 20-year old man was stabbed during a fight in the city centre on Sunday evening and was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Nottinghamshire Police said in a statement that it was an “isolated incident” involving two people.

A 16-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man have been taken into custody in relation to the incident.

A spokeswoman for the Cornerhouse leisure complex, where Cineworld operates in the city, told the Nottingham Post: “We are aware of an isolated incident that took place at Cineworld last night and are currently supporting the police and Cineworld with their inquiries.

“We will be open and operating as normal today.”

Blue Story is a film about two friends who end up in rival sides of a postcode gang war in south-east London, and has caused controversy since its release in November with some critics saying it glorifies gang culture.

Vue Cinemas banned, and later reinstated, Blue Story after a mass brawl broke out in Birmingham Star City involving machete-wielding youths.

Several people involved in the brawl were arrested.

The chief executive of Vue Cinemas, Tim Richards, has said there are plans to restart screenings of Blue Story once the company has “beefed up security”.

Showcase Cinemas also banned the film following the incident in Birmingham but reversed their decision just hours later after “careful consideration and discussions with the distributor”, reported Sky News.​