Indecent image appears during Super Mario Bros. Movie screening sparks investigation

Indecent image intrudes the Super Mario Bros. Movie children's screeningWaterside Theatre/Universal Pictures

An unscheduled ‘extra’ reportedly crashed a children’s screening of the Super Mario Bros. Movie in Northern Ireland, turning a fun day into a shocking scandal.

An indecent image of a partially undressed woman briefly appeared on screen during a viewing of the Mario movie aimed at primary-school-age children, per a BBC report.

The theatre acknowledged the Friday, July 7 incident as an “unfortunate but serious” occurrence.

Parents of the children were quickly informed of the incident. A local assembly member, keen to put parents’ minds at ease, has revealed that a full investigation into the incident will take place.

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Facebook statement by Waterside TheatreFB: Waterside Theatre
A statement made by Waterside Theatre in response to the incident

In a Facebook statement, the theatre quickly acknowledged the mishap noting, “Waterside Theatre is aware of an unfortunate but serious incident happening today.”

“The welfare of our visitors is always our main concern, and we will be working with the relevant authorities, which means we cannot comment further at this time. We offer our sincere apologies to all those affected.”

Yet, the lingering question remains – how did such an inappropriate picture make its way into a children’s movie screening?

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The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is digging deeper into the matter, focusing on the screening equipment used during the unfortunate incident. However, now several days later, the incident is still pending investigation.

Waterside Theatre Northen IrelandWaterside Theatre
Londonderry’s Waterside Theatre

Despite initial casting controversies and mixed critical reception, the Super Mario Bros. movie emerged victorious at the box office, raking in a whopping $1.343 billion globally, earning a place in the top 50 grossing movies of all time.

The movie now also ranks as the highest-grossing “rotten” film on Rotten Tomatoes, with a less-than-stellar critic score of 58%. Nevertheless, with an audience score of 95%, the public seemingly enjoyed the movie despite the critical opinions.

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With such overwhelming public support, Super Mario fans eagerly anticipate news of Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.