Popping balloons — not gunfire — scare ‘Avengers: Endgame’ crowd in Buckhead

A balloon display being popped outside a theater at the AMC Phipps Plaza 14 on Saturday morning scared movie-goers into thinking there was an active shooting.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

A balloon display being popped outside a theater at the AMC Phipps Plaza 14 on Saturday morning scared movie-goers into thinking there was an active shooting.

A crowd watching “Avengers: Endgame” at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead this weekend heard plenty of gunshots throughout the three-hour film.

However, panic set in among the movie-goers when they thought they heard real gunfire just outside the theater.

Thankfully, the loud pops weren’t gunshots. They were balloons being popped, Channel 2 Action News reported.

The 11 a.m. Saturday screening of the film at AMC Phipps Plaza 14 was interrupted by people running from the theater, fearing there was an active shooting, Channel 2 reported.

“Some people say they’re hearing shots ... some people say they’re hearing a man yelling,” Matt Goldberg, who was at the screening, told the news station Monday. “It’s a lot of chaos and confusion.”

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He said everyone in the theater ducked and began making their way to the exit at the front of the theater, which takes you outside.

Once people were told the noises they heard were just someone popping a balloon display in the hallway, the film was backed up 20 minutes and everyone was able to continue watching, Channel 2 reported.

“We weren’t in any real danger, but we didn’t know that at the time,” Goldberg said. “We’re OK. We’re just a little rattled.”

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The theater refunded their ticket costs and gave them a free pass to a future film, the news station reported.

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