In what might be the most idiotic promotion ever, the management at the Goodrich Capital 8 Theater is apologizing for a stunt they pulled in an attempt to make Iron Man 3 more fun for the audience. In Jefferson City, Missouri, the theater had a man walk into the theater in full tactical gear and carrying a fake gun. A genius move considering the tragic event that occurred during the opening night of The Dark Knight Rises.

The police and witnesses to the idiocy are not pleased. One Army veteran told the local news the even triggered “memories he never wanted to relive.” Numerous individuals called 911.

Capital 8 Theaters manager Bob Wilkins attempted to justify it to ABC 17 News.

…this was planned months in advance and only a few people were upset, but hundreds were entertained.

When asked if they took into consideration the Aurora shooting he responded.

Absolutely. That’s my number-one priority every day. It’s the safety and security of our guests.

And finally, this gem.

ABC 17 News asked Wilkins if he had any regrets for allowing the publicity stunt and he said, “No, my job is to entertain people.”

Social media backlash followed causing the Goodrich Capital 8 to post an apology on Facebook:

We apologize and are sympathetic to those who felt they were in harm’s way with our character promotion for Iron Man 3. This was not a publicity stunt. We have worked with the Cosplacon group on many movies to dress up and help entertain our customers. We have had many complaints about the members dressed specifically as S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives carrying fake guns. We didn’t clearly tell our customers and some people didn’t realize it was for entertainment purposes only. We apologize that police were called to come out to our theater. We have a wonderful working relationship with the Jefferson City Police Department. Going forward we will take the necessary steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Security and safety for our customers is our number one priority.

(via AV Club)