Excited children waiting to watch a Disney cartoon fled a cinema in horror after bungling staff put on the trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s latest ultra-violent film by mistake.
Parents were outraged when scenes from controversial Django Unchained were shown accidentally at the morning screening of PG children’s movie Brave at the cinema in Birmingham.
The 11am showing on Saturday was packed as many families had been taking advantage of the movie theatre’s “Little Giants Cinema Club” special offer for 50p.
But mums and dads expecting to see the animated film scrambled for the exits when scenes from Tarantino’s foul-mouthed bloodbath flashed up.
Children as young as three-years-old were forced to watch as lead characters Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio blasted cowboys with shotguns and rifles.
This was then followed by trailers for Die Hard 5 and Iron Man 3 – which also feature scenes of violence.
Angry mum Melissa Coombs, from Codsall, West Mids., attended the screening with husband Peter and daughters Daisy, six, and Penny, three.
The 33-year-old fumed: “The trailers were for Django Unchained, Die Hard 5 and Iron Man so obviously our children looked horrified because they are three and six.
“We had to cover their eyes and ears.
“The room was full of families and young children because they are doing an offer where it is 50p a ticket.
“The Tarantino trailer was blood and guts and death. My kids looked shocked and horrified.
“As it is such a big screen there was nowhere to hide. A lot of parents took their children out of the room.”
Mum-of-two Lisa Whitmore, 36, from Great Barr, Birmingham, said: “It’s probably the most violent film on at the cinema now. I don’t know how the staff could be so incompetent.
“Showing them stuff like that can scar children for life. It was not appropriate viewing for my two little girls – who are only six and eight.
“I had to leave the cinema.”
A statement from The Giant Screen, based at Birmingham’s Millennium Point, blamed the showing on a technical error.
A spokesperson said: “This unfortunately meant that the trailers shown in advance of the film were certified suitable for older audiences aged 12 and 15.
“Following the screening, the visitor services manager met concerned parents in the exit foyer to apologise. Immediate action has been taken to strengthen the procedures in place.”
