Movie Theater's ‘Fourth Wall’ Collapses in Moscow Suburb

Sep. 8, 2017

Rescue workers at the site of a cinema wall collapse in the town of Balashikha The Moscow Region Branch of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry / TASS

At least six people sustained injuries when a wall of a former movie theater collapsed in a Moscow suburb, local authorities and media outlets reported Friday.

A wall of the abandoned “Soyuz” cinema in Balashikha, a city to the east of Moscow, collapsed onto nearby market stalls. Six people have been taken to a local hospital, Interfax reported, citing an anonymous municipal official. The number of injured varies in regional media reports.

No reason has been given for the incident, but violations during construction and reconstruction work could be to blame, Interfax reported, citing an unidentified district official.

The international Russian-language channel RTVi’s Twitter feed characterized the incident as “a literal breaking of the fourth wall.”

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