Real shocker at Dubai Mall Reel Cinemas

Cinema-goers experience different type of action at Reel Cinemas as ceiling near entrance caves in; luckily no one was injured

 

 

DUBAI: As blockbuster screen action rolled at the Dubai Mall, a different sort of real-life action took place outside when a huge portion of the ceiling near the cinema entrance collapsed just before midnight on Monday while the place was packed with movie-goers.

Eye witnesses said they heard a loud, cracking sound before the ceiling caved in, portions of which crashed into the 10th floor near the entrance where cafeterias and the lounge of the 22-screen Reel Cinemas are located. Luckily, no one was injured. "I heard a cracking sound, then the ceiling just came crashing down," said Ahmad, an Arab youngster.

It was not immediately clear what caused the ceiling to collapse.

Many of the movie-goers were made up of families and children who were there to catch the last show of current box office hits Mr Popper's Penguins, Smurfs, Captain America and Conan the Barbarian as well as Bollywood blockbuster Bodyguard.

Alarm bells rang out as fluorescent lamps - still lit - broken pieces of the ceiling and the mangled metal frames littered the floor. Security staff quickly sealed off the area and shut down the rolling door that led to the lifts next to the portion where the ceiling caved in. A cinema staff said the collapsed area was "huge", but reported no injuries. "It was a huge portion of the ceiling that gave in. Thankfully, no one was hurt," he said.

The staff said the incident did not affect the screening of movies scheduled for the night.

A Dubai Municipality official said the concerned section will investigate the incident. "In a case like this, the standard procedure is to review the structural design to pinpoint any flaws and establish whether or not the approved design was followed and specified materials were used -- to establish who was at fault," said the official.

A Dubai Mall spokesperson while confirming the ceiling collapse, said, "The incident occurred after mall hours in an area that is not accessible to the public and repairs are in process."