The movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo. early Friday was a “perfect storm of horror,” according to a security expert who has worked with major movie theater chains.

The audience for the midnight movie premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises” was in a darkened theater and expecting noisy special effects. The gunman, wearing a bullet-proof vest, riot helmet and gas mask, entered the theater mid-show, set off smoke bombs and fired as many as four weapons at viewers.

The National Organization of Theater Owners said Friday that members were working closely with local law enforcement agencies and reviewing security procedures.

But Howard Levinson, president of Expert Security Consulting in Norton, Mass., said, “It is terrible to think, but there are some things that are probably not going to be preventable unless you get incredibly lucky.”

The Aurora theater appeared to have security, “but if this person is using a gas mask and using tear gas that is not really something that typically they are going to be prepared for,” Levinson said. The only way (the gunman) could have been stopped “would have been if someone figured out something before he got there,” he said.

However, a person who is determined to cause mass casualties probably will be able to at least start their plan, if not finish it, Levinson said.

“If you’ve got somebody who is willing to give up their own life to take other lives, it makes thing a lot more difficult to stop. The deterrent value of getting caught isn’t there,” he said.

A police officer entering a situation like the Aurora theater shooting could be at a disadvantage because their eyes would need time to adjust to the dark, Levinson said. “This guy could theoretically already be in there, have his eyes already adjusted and see everything that is going on, and the police officer is essentially blind,” he said.

Levinson said he has seen problems in the past with midnight movie premieres, where fans often arrive in costume as characters from the films.

“If I was being paid to advise a theater on what kind of precautions they should or shouldn’t take, I would tell them that they should never, ever again allow any costumes that they can’t see what might be underneath the costume,” he said.

The AMC Theaters chain announced Friday that it will not allow guests into theatres in costumes that make other guests feel uncomfortable, and will not permit face-covering masks or fake weapons inside its buildings.

Warner Bros. Pictures released a statement saying the studio is “deeply saddened” by the tragedy, but officials said they had no plans to cancel shows. Dayton-area screenings of “The Dark Knight Rises” on Friday were operating as scheduled.

“We take security very seriously and will continue to make every effort to ensure that our moviegoers are safe when they visit our theaters,” said Danny DiGiacomo, a Rave Cinemas spokesman. Dallas-based Rave operates 46 screens at three local theaters in Beavercreek, Huber Heights and Miamisburg, and another 18 screens at a theater in West Chester.

Rave Cinemas Dayton South contracts with a private company for security officers, some of whom are armed, at the theater during operating hours, said Sgt. Tom Thompson of the Miamisburg police department.

“We do have an officer assigned to that business area who … in light of what happened (early Friday) will be aware of monitoring the theater,” he said.

Regal Entertainment Group said in a statement that it would “monitor the situation and adjust our security needs as necessary.” The Knoxville-based theater chain operates the Regal Hollywood 20 at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.

Beavercreek police have not been contacted by security officials at either Fairfield Commons or The Greene regarding the theaters at those locations, said Capt. Jeff Fiorita. “We have nothing planned other than our normal routine patrol that we would be doing in those areas on a busy Friday night,” he said.

Several movie-goers attending a sold-out show of “The Dark Knight Rises” at The Greene on Friday night expressed concern for the Colorado victims, many said the incident wouldn’t stop them from seeing the movie because they felt safe.

“I feel safe in this town. Not to say that those people didn’t feel safe, but it was a random act, and it is very sad that it happened,” said Susan Hearn, 41, of Oakwood.

Liz Zerkle, 24, of Kettering aggreed. “He is one person out of many. It can happen at this movie theater, but I don’t think that I am in danger at all” she said.

Officials from regional theater chains including Chakeres and Danbarry Cinemas did not return calls for comment.

“The Dark Knight Rises” opened in more than 3,700 theaters at 12:01 a.m. Friday. The final installment of director Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy was expected to take in $25 million domestically from the midnight Thursday screenings, according to box office analysts.

Warner Bros. canceled Friday night’s red-carpet premiere of the movie in Paris, France because of the Colorado theater attack, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Media interviews with Nolan and cast members, who were in Paris for the premiere, also were scrapped.

The New York City police department on Friday promised increased security measures for weekend “Dark Knight” showings there as a precaution against copycat shooters.

Violent incidents at movie theaters are rising, but most involve robberies or fights, Levinson said.

In 2006, a Baltimore man was convicted of first-degree murder after ordering everyone to the floor and fatally shooting the man nearest him during a screening of “X-Men 3: The Last Stand.”

On Christmas Day 2008, a Philadelphia man was charged with attempted murder after shooting another man because his family was being too loud during a screening of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

In 2009, a security guard stabbed a 16-year-old boy in the stomach for refusing to leave a Long Island, N.Y. movie theater after a screening of “My Bloody Valentine 3D.”