Local moviegoers, undaunted, head to theaters, despite Colorado shooting

By Wesley Lowery, Globe correspondent

Even as theaters stepped up security, several moviegoers in Boston said today that the violence in Colorado would not deter them from the popular pastime nor keep them from allowing their children to go to the movies.

The shootings, they said, seemed to be an isolated attack carried out by a lone deranged assailant.

Amy Merchure of Dorchester had just finished seeing a movie at the AMC Loews complex near Boston Common with her two young nephews, 6 and 7. She said that at first she considered not going to the movies out of fear.

“But then I decided that I should. It’s a way to maintain normalcy and not alter our day-to-day lives,” Merchure said.

The AMC Theatres chain said this afternoon on its Facebook page that it was “reinforcing our security procedures with our theater teams.”

While it didn’t plan to change its schedules, the chain said, “We will not allow any guests into our theatres in costumes that make other guests feel uncomfortable and we will not permit face-covering masks or fake weapons inside our buildings.”

The chain has a number of theaters in the state, according to the corporate website. In addition to the Boston Common location, its locations include Chestnut Hill, Braintree, Burlington, and Framingham.

Back in Boston, Victoria Victor, 23, said she had not heard many details of the shooting. “If I lived in Colorado, I don’t know if I would ever go back to that theater.”

However, she added,“I never worry about safety at the movies, maybe at a bar or club, but never when I’m going out to a movie.”

At the Landmark cinemas in the Fenway, Boston police kept watch in the parking lot.

The department said it would maintain a visible presence around the city in the wake of the massacre.

“We have been in touch with state and federal authorities and believe the Colorado shooting is an isolated incident,” a Boston police statement said. “As always, the department reminds all citizens to be mindful of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity.”

A gunman wearing a gas mask and black SWAT gear hurled a gas canister inside a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colo., during a midnight showing of the new Batman movie Friday and then opened fire, killing 12 and wounding nearly 60 others, The Associated Press reported. The assault happened at the Century Aurora 16 theater.

Wesley Lowery can be reached at wesley.lowery@globe.com