An audience watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day was forced to flee after one movie-goer’s sour stomach turned the entire theater into a Dutch oven.
The smelly situation happened on August 2 in Cartagena, Colombia, at the Cine Colombia multiplex inside the Plaza Bocagrande shopping center.
Reports state that halfway through the Marvel movie, one attendee just couldn’t hold it in anymore, releasing a “rotten” smell that was so foul it prompted security to evacuate the audience.
Despite the audience’s mass exodus, the theater didn’t pause or stop the screening, which continued until the credits rolled — but by that point, most Spidey fans had decided to leave and try their luck another day.
Footage from the incident quickly went viral on social media, showing stunned viewers pouring into a hallway outside the theater, one of whom was dressed in a Spider-Man costume calling someone on his phone, sparking no end of jokes online.
“The situation was so serious that Spiderman had to call in the Avengers,” one user joked online.
“The Green Goblin dropped a bomb,” another quipped.
“A great scent carries a great responsibility,” yet another jibed.
#MISERABLE 🤢 Una función de Spider-Man en el centro comercial Plaza Bocagrande, en Cartagena, terminó en anécdota insólita cuando un fuerte gas estomacal expulsado por un asistente obligó a varias personas a abandonar la sala de cine debido al insoportable mal olor. pic.twitter.com/UCpEQeAXrl
— Colombia Oscura (@ColombiaOscura) August 2, 2026
While reports speculate that a stink bomb prank could have been to blame, no culprits have yet been identified, leaving the smelly scenario shrouded in mystery. Staff say they have no idea who could have been behind the ordeal, either, and the theater itself has not issued a public statement on the matter.
Aside from this short-lived screening, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has enjoyed a record-breaking opening weekend at the box office, raking in $360 million domestically to beat out Avengers: Endgame’s previous record.
Globally, it still stands in second place to Endgame, earning $932 million at the worldwide box office in the year’s most profitable picture thus far. While the film didn’t initially release in IMAX, screenings are opening up on August 7, joining Nolan’s The Odyssey, the latter of which will continue to show in IMAX 70MM through mid-September.
In fact, Brand New Day is projected to blow past the $1 billion mark in the next few days, leaving Avengers: Doomsday with a lot more to live up to this December.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
