French cinemas pull horror film following chaos at screenings

Several cinemas across France have decided to stop showing the horror film Annabelle, after hordes of teens flocked to cinemas, creating havoc during screenings of the movie about a haunted doll.

Didier Tarizzo, manager of an independent cinema in Marseilles, said things got out of control when thousands of fans between 12 and 17 showed up on Saturday for the opening night.

He added that scuffles had broken out and he had decided to no longer show the movie.

Tarizzo said that for "more and more films aimed at teenagers, it becomes a spectacle in the cinema".

"But this time there were far too many to be controlled. I told myself if it gets out of hand, it is going to be a royal brawl."

The UGC cinema chain will stop showing the film in Strasbourg and Creteil outside Paris from Wednesday, said director Emmanuel Delesse.