A bomb threat forced more than 200 people into the cold at the first showing of the re-release of the movie "Star Wars" at the Sony Theater in Lebanon Saturday night.
More than half the people evacuated were Dartmouth students, and some of them had been waiting for tickets since 3 p.m.
At about 8 p.m. the theater received a call from a person claiming a bomb would explode in the building in 10 minutes, according to Theater Staff Supervisor Jeff Ashe. The theater was immediately evacuated, and employees called the Lebanon Police Department, which dispatched fire trucks and policemen, Lebanon Police Department Sergeant John Tostenson said.
There are no suspects, and there have been no arrests.
"We waited out the 10 minutes and did a check," Tostenson said. "The building is still there today."
Some students were furious about the evacuation.
Adam Sullivan '00, who said he arrived at the theater at 3 p.m. to wait for tickets, said the threat came at an inopportune moment.
"It was right during the scene when Obi Wan was teaching Luke to use the light saber," he said. "A lot of people would have been more than willing to risk it," he said.
Although the movie was delayed only 30 minutes, almost no one stayed for the conclusion of the film, Ashe said.
The theater distributed free passes and refunds to those who insisted, he said.
Making a bomb threat is a class B felony punishable by three and a half to seven years in jail and a maximum fine of $2,000, Tostenson said.
Tostenson said it is unclear why a person would have made the threat.
"Sometimes kids do it to be funny," he said. "They may have an ax to grind. Each situation is unique."