March 9 (UPI) -- A live bat that caused chaos at a Texas screening of The Batman was released by a moviegoer as a prank, the theater operator confirmed.
The showing of the new film, which stars Robert Pattinson as the titular DC Comics hero, Moviehouse & Eatery by Cinepolis, turned into a live show on Friday when someone released a live bat inside the theater.
Annelise Holyoak, the director of marketing and communications for Cinépolis, confirmed in a statement Wednesday that the bat's presence was the result of a prank.
"Unfortunately a guest tried to pull a prank at one of our locations," Holyoak said in the statement provided to NBC News. "Local animal control was immediately contacted, and they oversaw the situation to ensure guest, associate and animal safety."
Videos captured by moviegoers show the bat flying across the screen and fleeing from pursuing cinema employees.
"I'm gonna turn all these lights off and try and get it to go into this lighted area," an employee says in one of the videos. "If you are uncomfortable being in the dark with a bat, please remove yourself now."
Mark Sloat, a manager for Austin Animal Center, said the prank was especially dangerous given the prevalence of rabies in Austin-area bats.
"Bats have tiny teeth so someone might not even know they were bitten. We want people to understand that rabies is no joke," he said. "Anyone who finds a grounded bat should not handle it and should instead call their local animal control agency."
