Movie concerns.

Families of theater shooting victims write letter to Warner Bros.

The Aurora movie theater where the 2012 mass shooting took place will not show the latest movie in the Batman franchise as victims’ families put pressure on Warner Bros. to help them advocate for gun control.

The movie, “Joker,” is scheduled for an Oct. 4 release.

Xavier Cuascut, manager of Century Aurora and XD, the site of the 2012 mass shooting, said the “Joker” absence from its screens was not tied to the 2012 shootings.

“We are not getting it. That’s it,” said Cuascut, adding that the movie theater doesn’t have the space because other good movies are also being released near the same time.

The movie theater, formerly known as Century 16, was screening “The Dark Knight Rises” during a midnight premiere on July 20, 2012, when a shooter killed a dozen people and injured more than 70 others.

Five people signed onto a letter sent Tuesday to Warner Bros., saying corporate leaders have a social responsibility to keep people safe.

“We want to be clear that we support your right to free speech and free expression,” the letter read. “But as anyone who has ever seen a comic book movie can tell you: with great power comes great responsibility. That’s why we’re calling on you to use your massive platform and influence to join us in our fight to build safer communities with fewer guns.”

The Aurora shooting by a “socially isolated individual who felt ‘wronged’ by society” changed the lives of the survivors. That’s why the release of the movie with the Joker being shown as a “protagonist with a sympathetic origin story” caused the families to reflect.

The letter called on Warner Bros. to end political contributions to candidates who accept money from the National Rifle Association and those who vote against gun reform. They also want Warner Bros. to lobby for gun reform and donate to survivor funds and gun violence intervention programs.

Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, two parents who signed the letter, started Survivors Empowered after their daughter, Jessica Ghawi, died in the shooting.

“This film is very, very violent, and it kind of glorifies someone’s darkest, deepest, ugliest emotions,” Sandy Phillips said. “And with all mass shootings we have gone to — we’ve responded to 15 mass shootings since our own in Aurora — it shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

In a statement to The Denver Post, a spokesman for Warner Bros. said the company understands gun violence is a critical issue and it shares its sympathy with victims and families.

“Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bipartisan legislation to address this epidemic,” according to the statement from spokesman Paul McGuire.

“At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues.”