A 52-year-old man has been shot dead after an argument broke out at a cinema between two couples over who was sitting where.

Michael Tenorio was allegedly fatally wounded by Enrique Padilla, 19, during the new Jennifer Lawrence movie No Hard Feelings at a cinema complex in the USA on Sunday evening.

The teenager arrived at the cinema in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his girlfriend when they discovered another couple were sitting in one of their reserved seats, according to witnesses.

Mr Tenorio and his wife, Trina, had bought tickets on either side of two seats and were hoping to ask to swap places so they could sit together.

Box office staff reportedly told the pair it shouldn’t be a problem but the situation quickly descended into chaos when Padilla stood up and launched a bucket of popcorn at Mrs Tenorio.

According to police, Century Rio cinema workers tried to intervene but after Mr Tenorio pushed Padilla, he responded by pulling out a gun and shooting at him.

An off-duty police officer who was at the movie said he administered emergency aid to Mr Tenorio.

The officer witnessed the bust-up but did not see a weapon in the darkness of the cinema and said he heard a rapid-fire succession of gunshots before one man involved ran away.

Emergency services rushed to assist after receiving around 20 calls about the incident but Mr Tenorio, who his wife says was unarmed, died at the scene.

As frightened movie-goers fled, Padilla also reportedly ran off, while his girlfriend started fighting Mrs Tenorio before she left.

A wounded Padilla was later found by officers hiding behind a bush outside of an emergency exit – a gun compatible with spent casings from the shooting was also recovered.

Police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Padilla was kept under guard at hospital yesterday evening while being treated for a gunshot wound.

Charges have been filed against Padilla in connection with the shooting, but it’s not known whether he had a legal representative who could speak on his behalf. 

An arrest warrant and criminal complaint against Padilla listed open counts of homicide, shooting at an occupied building and tampering with evidence.

The complaint also said Padilla was wounded in the abdomen but did not show any further details.

Elsewhere in the US, a woman accused of shooting an Uber driver she mistakenly thought was kidnapping her to Mexico has been charged with murder following his death.

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