Dark Knight Promo Sparks Bomb Scare

Straight from the "What were they thinking?" files, a promotion for the new Dark Knight Batman movie lead to a news station calling a bomb squad and the building being evacuated. A chocolate cake with wires coming out of it and a phone number written across the top was sent to KENS 5 TV.

The Santikos Theater movie chain's goal was to promote Dark Knight. The result was the local San Antonio, Texas, bomb squad being called in.

• Boneheaded or Brilliant?:
  Talk About This Publicity Stunt
• Publicity Stunt Goes Wrong:
  Aqua Teen Hunger Force Promo Brings in Bomb Squad

The publicity stunt is too reminiscent of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force promo that was mistaken for a terrorist threat. That botched publicity stunt lead to the resignation of the executive VP and general manager of Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network.

More on the Dark Knight Publicity Stunt:

The movie theater had also placed a classified ad from the Joker trying to recruit clowns and asking those interested to attend the Dark Knight premiere. A fake news report appeared on the local FOX affiliate saying graffiti artists had spray painted the Batman symbol on the theater completed the campaign. Santikos Theater reps say the cake bomb didn't get them the kind of attention they were hoping to attract and an apology was issued to the TV station.