A sign posted outside a Regal theater warns patrons of the chain's bag search policy. (Photo: WBIR) 
 
 You already submit your bags for a security check at airports, sports arenas, amusement parks and museums. Now, in the wake of recent theater shootings, you may have to get checked before entering your local multiplex. 
 
 Regal Entertainment Group, the nation's largest movie-theater chain, with about 7,300 screens across America, has quietly added a new security warning to its website, acknowledging the potential inconvenience for moviegoers. 
 
 "Security issues have become a daily part of our lives in America. Regal Entertainment Group wants our customers and staff to feel comfortable and safe when visiting or working in our theatres," the site says. "To ensure the safety of our guests and employees, backpacks and bags of any kind are subject to inspection prior to admission. 
 
 "We acknowledge that this procedure can cause some inconvenience and that it is not without flaws, but hope these are minor in comparison to increased safety." 
 
 Movie lovers may not be that bothered, says Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst for entertainment research company Rentrak. 
 
 "Moviegoers have become so accustomed to having these types of security measures enacted in all kinds of public spaces, from theme parks to sports venues and rock concerts,” says Dergarabedian. “Regal has decided to make a concerted effort to show their patrons that they’re aware of security issues.” 
 
 He adds that he doesn’t think increased security will impact the box office “at all.” 
 
 "I don’t think anyone is going to stay away from a movie theater because of increased security measures. If anything, they’re going to appreciate it." 
 
 It's not clear when Regal added the security change, but it seems to have happened after a gunman killed two moviegoers in a theater in Lafayette, La., last month. Earlier this month in Nashville, a man attacked theatergoers with pepper spray and a hatchet; the attacker was shot and killed by police. In 2012, a gunman killed 12 people and injured 70 in a shooting in an Aurora, Colo., theater. 
 
 Patrick Corcoran, head of media relations for the National Association of Theatre Owners, said, “NATO does not comment on security policies.” 
 
 Jeff Bock, box office analyst for theater-industry research firm Exhibitor Relations, predicted the policy will lower the anxiety of theatergoers but could pose other problems. 
 
 "Implementing this is probably a good idea," he said. "But it seems undercooked. How is this going to work? The protocol needs to be defined. Exactly what are they doing and what kind of training are you giving to employees? 
 
 "It’s a pretty big thing to ask for 16-year-old employees to search through bags for possible firearms. This kind of changes the duties of a theater employee from making popcorn and sweeping floors to basically being a low-rent security guard. Maybe this falls to the manager of the theater to search ... We now have to deal with the consequences of what if they find something in the bag. 
 
 "Obviously, all the people who sneak in Subway sandwiches are going to be mortified," Bock added. "Maybe that’s the Regal ulterior motive. Stopping illegal Milk Duds from getting into theaters." 
 
 WBIR-TV in Knoxville, where Regal is based, reported that signs have turned up outside Regal theaters quoting the policy and alerting moviegoers to the possibility their bags will be checked. 
 
 Regal officials didn't comment to the TV station or to USA TODAY, so it's unclear when the policy changed. But moviegoers posting on the WBIR Facebook page said their purses were searched in the last few weeks. 
 
 KTRK in Houston reported an employee of the ABC station noticed the change Saturday when she went to a movie at a local Regal theater. Her purse was searched after she handed her tickets to a theater employee upon entry. 
 
 Signs about the new policy were posted Wednesday night at Regal Cinemas Gallery Place 14 in Washington, where all customers observed were asked to open their bags for a light check. An armed security guard stood nearby. 
 
 Washington resident Manny Geraldo, 30, said his athletic bag was searched as he entered the theater, but it didn't bother him. "If it can prevent an attack from happening, it's a minor inconvenience for me," he said. 
 
 For Keyshia Smith, however, having her bag searched was a surprise that she didn't appreciate. 
 
 "I feel like it's an invasion of my privacy," the 23-year-old Washington resident said. "But I guess with times like these, you have to do that now." 
 
 Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Andrea Mandell and Tyler Pager 
 
 LAPD officers keep watch outside a Regal theater in Los Angeles for the movie 'Straight Outta Compton.' (Photo: MARK RALSTON/ AFP/Getty Images) 
 
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 After two unrelated movie theater attacks this summer, the country’s largest theater chain Regal Cinemas announced that it will step up its security measures and begin checking moviegoers’ bags at the entrance. 
 
 “Security issues have become a daily part of our lives in America,” said the company in a statement on its website. “Regal Entertainment Group wants our customers and staff to feel comfortable and safe when visiting or working in our theatres. To ensure the safety of our guests and employees, backpacks and bags of any kind are subject to inspection prior to admission. We acknowledge that this procedure can cause some inconvenience and that it is not without flaws, but hope these are minor in comparison to increased safety.” 
 
 It’s not clear whether the company will increase ticket prices in order to pay for the added security or whether other theater chains will follow suit. Similar measures have been in place at sporting events and concerts for years. 
 
 The moves follow two movie theater attacks this summer. At the end of July a gunman killed two women and himself at a theater in Lafayette, Lousiana. In a separate, unrelated attack in August at a theater near Nashville, Tennessee, a man who attacked moviegoers with pepperspray, a hatchet and a pellet gun was killed by police. 
 
 The events occured almost exactly three years after James Holmes, who was recently sentenced to life in prison, opened fire in a Colorado movie theater, killing 12 people. 
 
 Calls to Regal were not returned. The National Association of Theater Owners declined to comment on the updated security measures.
– The country's biggest theater chain has announced that all moviegoers can expect to have their bags searched on entry—and it isn't looking for illicit snacks. Instead, Regal Cinemas says on its website that since "security issues have become a daily part of our lives in America," searches will be carried out to ensure the "safety of our guests and employees," Entertainment Weekly reports. The move at the chain, which has around 7,300 screens nationwide, comes after recent theater attacks in Louisiana and Tennessee, which happened three years after James Holmes massacred 12 people in a Colorado theater, EW notes. An analyst for entertainment research firm Rentrak tells USA Today that since people are already used to having their bags searched at places like stadiums, Regal's move probably won't affect movie attendances. "I don't think anyone is going to stay away from a movie theater because of increased security measures," he says. "If anything, they're going to appreciate it." Other analysts, however, say the move seems a little "undercooked" and wonder if Regal is training employees on how to react if they do find a gun in a patron's bag. (At a California theater, a "prankster" carrying a leaf blower caused a stampede.)