Summit Won't Cut Gas Mask Scene From 'Step Up 4'

Summit Entertainment won't edit out a scene from 3D dance pic Step Up Revolution in which a troupe of dancers enter a room wearing gas masks -- similar to the gas mask worn by suspect James Holmes when he opened fire at a theater last Friday.

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However, Summit immediately pulled advertising materials referencing the scene following the theater massacre in Aurora, Colo.

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The 3D dance pic opens Friday, meaning that the movie was sent out to exhibitors early in the week.

Last week's tragedy in Colorado began when Holmes entered a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises with the rest of the crowd before propping open an emergency door and going to his car. He re-entered the theater wearing a gas mask and body armour, along with gas bombs and weapons.

The sequence in Step Up Revolution involves a group of dancers who -- wearing gas masks -- infiltrate a corporate party wearing gas masks and carrying smoke cannisters.

"Summit Entertainment's Step Up Revolution is an uplifting film that celebrates the redemptive power of dance. There is a brief scene in the film in which a troop of dancers enter a room wearing gas masks as props and the dancers immediately go into a choreographed routine," Summit said in a statement.

"Because of last week’s tragic events in Colorado, Summit immediately removed television advertising that briefly showcased that scene from the film. The scene also briefly appeared in a trailer released three months ago that the studio is no longer actively servicing. Having taken these steps, Summit will open this inspirational, nonviolent film in theatres nationwide this weekend as originally edited," the statement continued.
 
Some members of the media raised took to social media to discuss the scene in Step Up 4 following a press screening of the movie on Tuesday night. Executives from Summit and parent co. Lionsgate discussed the situation throughout Wednesday, although the movie has already gone out to exhibitors.

Step Up 4, rated PG-13, stars Kathryn McCormick, who appeared on the sixth season of So You Think You Can Dance, Ryan Guzman, Adam Sevani, Misha Gabriel and Peter Gallagher.

At least one Hollywood movie is already being altered in the wake of the theater shooting during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Warner Bros. is delaying release of Gangster Squad until Jan. 11. The film, which had been set to open in early September, has a scene where a moviegoers are shot in a theater.