In a cinema in Essen, visitors rioted on Saturday evening until the cancellation of a film screening. Guests got up during the performance and climbed over the seats, police said. The staff stopped the film and ordered the approximately 440 spectators out of the hall.

According to the police, there could be a connection with a trend on the short video platform Tiktok. Similar incidents occurred in Bremen and several French cities.

The guests in the Ruhr area city of Essen threw, according to the police, snacks through the cinema. "Since the mood was heated and almost 40 visitors did not want to leave the cinema, several police patrol cars arrived," the statement continued. The officials had enforced the domiciliary right of the cinema.

According to the Essen police, some visitors showed "such antisocial behavior", which should lead to the cancellation of a movie. "The fact that this spoils the evening for many decent people does not seem to interest the budding 'social media stars' and would-be 'influencers' in the slightest," criticized the police.

Similar incident in Bremen

However, criminal offences were not found in the incident in Essen. However, claims for damages could be asserted.

A similar incident as in Essen was also reported from a cinema in Bremen. Several young visitors had thrown popcorn and nachos at each other on Saturday evening, police said in the Hanseatic city. There had been "scuffles and riots" inside and outside the cinema. The film screenings were cancelled. The police were, according to their own statements, with a "large contingent" in use.

Also in neighboring France there were riots in cinemas. Since the release of the US film "Creed III", there have been several police operations due to clashes between young people in French cinemas, according to media reports. According to police, the incident in Essen also occurred during a screening of "Creed III", the Bremen police did not provide any information on the film shown.

On Saturday afternoon, among other things, there was a brawl in a large cinema in the southeastern French city of Saint-Étienne. According to police and cinema operators, the performance was cancelled and the hall evacuated. Of 300 spectators, the police arrested 20, an employee of the cinema told the AFP news agency.

"We were unable to restore calm," he added. The police had to intervene to end the clashes in which bottles were thrown. A bottle hit a security guard on the head, said the cinema representative. On the same day, arrests were also made in the northeastern French cities of Thionville and Charleville-Mézières for rioting in cinemas.