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- Numerous rats were spotted in a cinema, causing alarm among patrons.
- The severity of the infestation prompted calls for the cinema's closure.
- A cinema-goer said she saw rats all over the chairs and in the cup holders.
Cinema-goers setting out to watch "The Color Purple" at a theater in England were alarmed to find rats roaming freely in the auditorium and gnawing on dropped popcorn, KentOnline reports.
Claire Bermingham and her friends arrived at the Odeon Luxe cinema in Maidstone, Kent, and were shocked to encounter a rat infestation in the screening room.
Bermingham described seeing "lots" of rats crawling around, even inside the cup holders. "We could see rats tails sticking out and traps everywhere," she told KentOnline. She described the experience as "surreal."
A picture published by KentOnline showed a rat gnawing on a piece of popcorn, that was taken inside the cinema, it said.
"We left and spoke to a manager. I asked if we could watch another film if one hadn't started but we were told the problem is with all the screens," she said.
Bermingham, who has a background in health and safety, argued that the cinema should have been closed given the severity of the infestation, said KentOnline.
Another cinema-goer told MailOnline that she had also seen rats at the cinema.
"During a screening in July 2023, my partner and I witnessed a rat scurry past a ledge in front of our seats while watching Asteroid City — rather close to the viewers' heads in front of us," said Rebecca Kemp, per the MailOnline.
Rats can carry ticks, mites, or fleas that can act as vectors to spread diseases to people if not contained, the CDC reports.
While a representative from Odeon suggested that rat issues might extend to other businesses in the Lockmeadow Entertainment Centre, a council spokesman dismissed this claim, stating there was "no indication" of similar problems elsewhere in the complex, KentOnline reported.
Rat infestations draw fascination and squeamishness, and Odeon is not the only franchise plagued by a rodent problem.
Family Dollar and Dollar Tree workers in the US have described stores as "unhygienic and disgusting," reporting backrooms overrun with rodents.
New York City, which saw its rat population grow by 800% over 65 years, has appointed a "rat czar" to oversee its management of the pressing issue.
In one shocking case, a baby boy in Arizona living in a rodent-infested home was found with more than 50 rat bites.
All four of the infant's fingers and thumb on his right hand were missing the flesh from the top of them, and his parents were subsequently charged with negligence.
Odeon's said it has maintained a five-star hygiene rating and conducts regular cleaning, but Bermingham insists that the cinema should not operate until the rat problem is effectively addressed.
Business Insider reached out to Odeon for comment.