Since this weekend, no more films have been shown in the Imax theater at Pathé La Valette, which still has 530 seats. If the thesis of “technical malfunction” was first put forward, the L’Avenue 83 multiplex, located near Toulon, is in reality grappling with a completely different problem.
It was in fact an invasion of bedbugs that caused this decision, says a regular in the dark rooms. Adeline, 33, was happy to go see a concert by singer Taylor Swift, broadcast on Friday evening in the largest cinema hall. Instead, she says she shared a nightmarish experience with dozens of other spectators.
Spectators welcomed while the room is infested
According to a customer, the room has been closed since Saturday due to an infestation of bedbugs.(Photo DR).
“When we arrived, we realized that one row out of two had been closed without explanation,” says the young woman, who came with her sister. “The security guard checked that our seats were not among the seats prohibited from access. We started to find it weird. When suddenly a woman started screaming…”
According to this lawyer, the person was angry regarding having found bedbugs on his chair and asked to be reimbursed. The whole rank then stood up, causing a general commotion. “We all took out our phones to check our seats. That’s when I saw a pin on the seat in front of me. I wasn’t the only one…”
“I’m very angry with Pathé…”
Half of the Imax theater chose to leave the premises before the start of the screening, according to Adeline, while the other part of the spectators remained… standing. The trauma did not stop there for the young woman: “I had to clean my car from top to bottom, my clothes, with the dread of having brought them home…”
The Hyéroise wants it “a lot” in Pathé. “Of course, it’s hard to fight once morest this parasitic insect. But there, they knew that the room was infested, since some of the rows were condemned. Despite everything, they still let us in! It’s unconscious. What’s more, They deleted all the comments that complained on the networks…”
“The chairs will be dismantled and treated one by one”
Asked by Var-matin, the director of the cinema, Jérôme Cleveland, said “to understand” the concerns of its customers. But also denies any reactivity problem: “We managed the emergency, took zero risks and closed the room under the precautionary principle. We will now dismantle the chairs one by one and treat everything that can be treated, before reopening.”
This same Jérôme Cleveland nevertheless deplores the fact that cinemas are “victim of media hype. All year round, we spend a fortune to treat our theaters. The safety and health of our spectators are our priorities.”
For several weeks, France has experienced a resurgence of this pest which is making the news. This insect, which feeds on human blood and whose proliferation is fearsome, has already infested dozens of cinemas in France.
