Movie Massacre: Westsiders React, Feel Mostly Safe

Westside residents purchasing tickets Friday hours after the tragic massacre of moviegoers one thousand miles away at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight in Aurora, CO were saddened, but not deterred from viewing the latest Batman movie.

"Why wouldn't I come? I want to see the movie, and it's an isolated incident," said Sean Muhlstein, a resident of West Los Angeles who was waiting for a showing at the .

Muhlstein said although he felt safer attending a daytime showing of the film, the incident will not deter him from attending midnight premieres for similar big budget films in the future.

Other moviegoers said they were not so sure how they felt about their security following the incident.

"I've never felt nervous at a midnight premiere before, but maybe subconsciously now I always will be," said Caitlin Myers, a UCLA student who was waiting next to Muhlstein.

A handful of those in line at the AMC Century City Movie Theater said they were not aware of the incident, including one man in his 20s sporting a batman-themed t-shirt, baseball cap and sweatshirt. "Aurora shootings? We're just here to watch Batman," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

But in Santa Monica, moviegoer Mina Ton of Irvine said she had heard of the incident but had no qualms bringing her two children to see the film at the AMC on Third Street Friday morning.

"From what I've heard, he was just a lone shooter, so I was not worried. But it could have happened anywhere," she said. "It is kind of sad to think that you cannot go places without worrying about the safety of your family."

AMC released a statement Friday afternoon through its Facebook page .

"Movie going is part of our social fabric and this senseless act shakes us to our core," the statement read. "We’re reinforcing our security procedures with our theatre teams, which we cannot discuss in detail for obvious, safety reasons."

Santa Monica resident Jake Kahana, who was in line to see the film at the AMC theater Friday morning, said the incident reminded him to feel lucky about his situation and glad that the incident did not occur in other areas across the United States.

"The shooter hijacked people's emotions," Kahana said. "But we can't let fear govern our lives."