Rest easy, Toronto-goers. The Battle of the Bedbugs is apparently over before it even really began.
The mini-drama started earlier Monday, when MSN movie critic James Rocchi tweeted about how his friend in Toronto reported finding bedbug bites on his "back, bottom and thighs" after a screening of "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" at Toronto's Scotiabank Theater, which will be playing host to dozens of screenings for the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.
The tweet had festival officials bugging out, as a recent bedbug infestation at AMC Theaters in New York City became national news earlier this month.
Within the hour, TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey tweeted "Before bedbugs becomes today's meme: we're on it, we're talking to Cineplex & are planning for an itch-free #TIFF10."
Prior to Bailey's swift response, TheWrap contacted the theater manager of Scotiabank, who said that the theater was undergoing "ongoing maintenance" and "taking preventive measures" to avoid infestations such as those that plagued New York moviegoers.
The theater manager then referred TheWrap to Pat Marshall, who handles media relations for the Cineplex theater chain, but she did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.
Rocchi's tweet must've made Universal Pictures happy, as it proved that at least one Toronto film fan (and some bedbugs) saw "Scott Pilgrim," which has flopped at the box office since opening Aug. 13.
