Cineplex pulls South Indian film following drive-by shootings in Brampton and across GTA

Cineplex is reportedly pulling a South Indian film from its theatres after a string of drive-by shootings across the GTA including one in Brampton.

The theatre chain has halted all showings of the 2024 film Malaikottai Vaaliban according to multiple reports, just one day after police in York Region say several shootings at theatres in multiple cities may be connected.

Police say movie theatres in Brampton, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Vaughan have all been targeted.

Multiple suspects are connected to the shootings, with police saying that no injuries have been reported as the cinemas were closed at the time of the attacks.

And according to reports, the violence is being linked to a group trying to stop some South Indian-language movies from being shown in favour of other films.

The movie is the story of “an undisputed warrior” who “transcends time and geographies, triumphing over every opponent he encounters,” according to the film’s synopsis on IMDB.com.

Police in York say they’re looking for witnesses in two of the cinema shootings — one that occurred in Richmond Hill (Highway 7 and East Beaver Creek area) and the other in Vaughan (Highway 7 and Weston Road).

In the Richmond Hill shooting, police say an employee of the movie theatre arrived at work to find windows had been shot at.

Police are asking anyone with information on these shootings, or who witnessed any suspicious activity in the areas to contact Peel Regional Police at 905-453-2121, or York Regional Police at 1-866-287-5025 ext. 7241.