Chapter 870: The Film Bears Primary Responsibility

"May God be with you."

Walking into the wards of the University of California School of Medicine, Duke and Scarlett Johansson solemnly shook hands or exchanged greetings with every injured patient. They turned down no requests for photos. A few young fans seemed entirely unbothered by their own injuries; they swarmed Duke for pictures and immediately posted them online via Instant Sharing or Twitter.

After nearly half the morning had passed, Duke and Scarlett Johansson walked out of the University of California School of Medicine, only to be surrounded by countless reporters at the entrance.

"Duke, what are your thoughts on this incident?"

"The shooter was reportedly imitating the Joker. Is that true?"

"Don't you think the film you directed should bear some of the responsibility?"

"Are you here because you feel guilty?"

Some of the reporters and paparazzi asked rather blunt questions.

"Are you here doing PR for Warner Brothers?"

"I am representing myself, not any company, and I hope no one maliciously speculates that this is a PR stunt for the film."

Duke naturally denied it, adding with a heavy heart, "Words cannot express the shock I feel. I don't think we can truly comprehend the pain of the victims and their families, but my heart is with them."

Christian Bale and his wife, who came out shortly after, drew away a large crowd of reporters. Under the protection of his bodyguards, Duke left the University of California School of Medicine in a car.

Before the official police report was released, he wasn't going to say anything careless. Moreover, his previous words had been carefully drafted by Penny Kalis.

The impact of the shooting was massive. Even the Washington Authorities and the White House expressed concern. The Los Angeles County Police Department held an official press conference at noon.

Los Angeles County Police Department Captain Lee Pace released an official investigation report at the media briefing, stating that over the past 60 days, James Holmes had purchased two .40-caliber Glock pistols, a 12-gauge shotgun, and an AR-15 Semi-Automatic Rifle from local gun shops.

During the same period, James Holmes purchased over 3,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, 3,000 rounds of handgun ammunition, and 300 shotgun shells online.

"Also through the internet, he purchased multiple automatic rifle magazines, including a 100-round drum magazine we found at the crime scene," Lee Pace said, facing the media cameras. "Experts tell me that with this kind of magazine, James Holmes could fire 50 to 60 rounds in a minute. As far as I know, in a theater like that, this is an incredibly rapid rate of fire."

However, Lee Pace also confirmed that all of James Holmes's weapons, magazines, and ammunition had been purchased legally.

Following that, the Los Angeles Police released the latest statistics. The confirmed death toll currently stood at 12, while the number of injured was revised down from the previously reported 59 to 58.

Among the casualties, the vast majority had been shot, with only a small number of the injured suffering wounds from other causes.

That was not all. Lee Pace also shared the latest developments in the case. After his arrest, James Holmes admitted to planting explosive devices in his apartment, setting up trigger "mechanisms," which forced the police to urgently evacuate personnel from five buildings in his neighborhood.

In the early hours of the morning, police, alongside agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, locked down the scene. They used a bucket truck to approach a third-floor apartment in a red-brick building. After breaking a window with an axe, they extended a 20-foot pole inside, using an attached camera to inspect the interior.

He described the apartment as being laced with wires. Soda cans littered the floor, and the wires were connected to "chemicals and incendiary devices."

"What we are looking at is an exceptionally complex situation," the police captain said, his eyes bloodshot, clearly having barely slept the night before. "Dismantling it could take hours, or even days. We simply don't know how to handle it... I have never seen a scene like this."

The Los Angeles Police had temporarily abandoned efforts to dismantle the explosive devices, waiting for Federal Government experts to arrive at the scene.

The police had not determined James Holmes's motive for the crime, nor had they found any signs linking the incident to terrorism.

However, the fact that James Holmes had called himself the "Joker" had long since been leaked by the media.

The press conference had barely ended before some experts eagerly jumped out to accept media interviews, claiming this was a textbook copycat crime and that the imitated film should bear the primary responsibility.

Meanwhile, Duke and Warner Brothers also issued their own separate public statements.

Warner Brothers issued a statement saying, "Upon learning of this shocking and tragic event, Warner Bros. Pictures is deeply saddened. We extend our most sincere condolences to the victims of this tragedy and their families."

Warner also announced the cancellation of the red-carpet premieres originally scheduled for places like Paris, France, Mexico, and Tokyo. They would withhold the opening weekend box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises and would remove all footage and dialogue involving firearms and explosions from the film's pre-roll trailers.

"The shooting is a disaster, and I express my deepest condolences to the innocent audience members victimized in this event."

Issuing a statement on behalf of the cast and crew of The Dark Knight Rises, Duke continued, "I believe film is a great art form in America. Watching a story unfold on the big screen and sharing that experience with a crowd is a vital and joyful form of entertainment. The movie theater is my home, and seeing someone wreak violent havoc in a theater in such a barbaric manner is a catastrophe for me. For the innocent victims of this shooting, words are simply not enough to fully express our grief. I just want to say that our hearts are with them and their families."

The incident triggered massive repercussions on a societal level. In particular, O-Coal, who had always advocated for gun control, stepped forward almost immediately.

Upon learning of the latest developments in the shooting, O-Coal expressed his "shock and sorrow" and mourned the victims. He also ordered flags across the nation to be flown at half-mast for six days to honor the deceased. The White House, American embassies and consulates abroad, all public government buildings, military outposts, naval base commands, and naval vessels would all fly their flags at half-mast for six days in mourning for this catastrophic tragedy.

"Michelle and I are profoundly shocked and saddened by this horrific shooting. My administration will do everything in its power to support the families harmed by this tragedy and stand with them through this exceptionally difficult time. We are in a moment of both darkness and challenge; we must unite as one American family."

In this public statement, O-Coal declared, "The Federal Government will ensure the suspect faces just punishment and will do its utmost to protect the safety of the American people. The shooter's actions were evil and senseless. We will never understand what drives a shooter to take the lives of others. It reminds us of how fragile life is, and how precious our time is."

The New York City Government and the Los Angeles municipal government also issued public statements one after another, specifically addressing theater safety: "We will increase police presence at major cinemas across the city and strictly screen moviegoers to prevent any copycat incidents of the Santa Monica Commercial Square Cinema shooting."

North America's two largest theatrical exhibition chains, Regal Entertainment and AMC, issued statements announcing they would ban fans from wearing "costumes" that might make other patrons uncomfortable, as well as wearing masks or bringing fake weapons into theaters.

The incident was rapidly escalating. Whether subjectively or objectively, it was impossible for The Dark Knight Rises to detach itself from the tragedy.

Typically, Hollywood studios would release box office numbers immediately after the weekend. However, this convention would be broken by the tragic shooting.

Major Hollywood studios, including Warner Brothers, Sony Columbia, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, and Universal Pictures, announced that day that they did not intend to release their weekend box office numbers on Monday. Rentrak, an agency specializing in tracking box office data, likewise had no plans to publicize the weekend figures.

Impacted by the shooting, Warner Brothers cancelled the French premiere of The Dark Knight Rises scheduled in Paris, while simultaneously deciding to scrap promotional events planned for the Mexican capital of Mexico City and the Japanese capital of Tokyo.

That wasn't all. The incident also affected the stock market. Due to the shooting, stocks across the American exhibition industry suffered varying degrees of decline that day. IMAX Company's stock price dropped by nearly six percent, while AMG and Regal Entertainment saw their shares plummet by over nine percent.

Many countries heightened security measures at their cinemas. In Britain and Germany, numerous theaters banned patrons from entering in cosplay costumes of film characters, and they deployed additional security personnel to the lobbies, monitoring every movement with zero blind spots to ensure the audience's safety.

Any incident takes time to fully develop. On that Friday, the fallout from the shooting was still expanding. The Dark Knight Rises took a hit, but the impact wasn't overwhelmingly massive. Even though its opening-day North American box office didn't reach Warner Brothers' projected 100 million dollars, it still raked in a staggering 91.48 million dollars!

Moreover, numerous detrimental comments regarding The Dark Knight Rises had already surfaced across the internet and media, along with rumors circulating that the Warner Bros. Company was going to delete scenes and dialogue involving firearms from the film itself.

"They're actually talking about another Warner film, an American gangster movie set in the 1930s and 40s. It's a completely different matter from The Dark Knight Rises and has nothing to do with it."

Warner Brothers' Jamie Jensen also stepped forward promptly to dispel the rumors. "The Dark Knight Rises had trailers for other movies playing before it. It was actually the trailer for an American gangster film that got pulled domestically. Besides, The Dark Knight Rises is already playing in America—how could we possibly delete scenes now? Both superhero films and crime thrillers are going to have shootout scenes. In reality, The Dark Knight Rises has nothing to do with the violence."

Even though Warner Brothers was doing its utmost to quash the rumors, both they and Duke knew full well that many people in Hollywood were already making their moves. Starting Saturday, a massive war in the media between the various factions was inevitable.