History Main / CrowdPanic

* ''Fanfic/DeathNoteChaotic'': The city of Tokyo is full of panicked people after a number of bombs are detonated.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/GetSmart''. After Maxwell Smart reveals [[WhyAmITicking there's a bomb in Harvey]], the delegates at a conference flee in panic. The Chief gets on the microphone and delivers a tongue-lashing, telling them to set an example by leaving in a calm, orderly manner. Everyone looks shamefaced...then flees the same way as before.

[[folder:{{Film}}]]

* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' includes a homage to the Godzilla films; when the Tyrannosaur starts rampaging around San Diego, among the fleeing crowds are some Japanese guys who probably left Tokyo to get away from this sort of thing.
* ''Film/JurassicWorld'' has one when the pterosaurs let loose by the Indominus Rex rampage head toward the Main Street area of the park, where lots of visitors panic and run for cover.

* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' includes a homage to the Godzilla films; when the Tyrannosaur starts rampaging around San Diego, one of the fleeing humans is a Japanese guy who yells that he left Tokyo to get away from this sort of thing.

It's a stock reaction usually PlayedForDrama, but it's also TruthInTelevision, a social phenomenon known as "mass panic".

Expect to see someone in the crowd to trip or get stuck and delay the others, or a shot of a lost KidAmidTheChaos looking for their mother. "Hurry up!" and "Don't push!" are common phrases that get yelled out in these tense moments, and as people just want to escape unharmed as quickly as possible, they typically act on autopilot. In animated works, this is usually accompanied by a visual effect to indicate rapid movement (with still images for added drama).

* Very common in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' due to its CrapsackWorld setting. Whenever groups of civilians see titans coming their way, they immediately start running, screaming, and pushing each other out of fear. [[BloodyHorror This always ends in a tragedy.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/AttackOnTitan2015 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aot_live.jpg]]]]

When the LivingProp folks do it, and they end up dying amid the mayhem, then they are {{Red Shirt}}s, but if others besides the living props do it, then it's a MassOhCrap, ''and'' if they die, as well, it means that AnyoneCanDie. May involve a RedshirtReporter.

Someone shoots, crowd panics. Someone says there's a bomb in the building, crowd panics. Giant monster appears... [[RuleOfThree crowd panics]] and runs away!

No one in the crowd ever trips or gets stuck.

When someone besides the group of LivingProp guys do it, it's a MassOhCrap. May involve a RedshirtReporter.

* Very common in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' due to its CrapsackWorld setting. Whenever groups of civilians see titans coming their way, they immediately start running, screaming, and pushing each other out of fear. [[AnyoneCanDie This [[BloodSplatteredInnocents always ends in]] [[BloodyHorror a tragedy]].

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%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1315492278057183900

* ''VideoGame/TheGetaway'': People would freak out and run during the first half of the game if you were seen with a gun in public, and [[RealityEnsues just like they would in real life]], at least some of them call the cops. Less of an issue in the second half, as you're playing a plainclothes police officer and usually accompanied by some uniformed colleagues.

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[[AC: Comic Books]]

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Someone shoots, crowd panics. Someone says there's a bomb in the building, crowd panics. Usually found in comedy / cop movies.

** ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'', the movie of the 1960s ''Series/{{Batman}}'' TV series. Batman runs with into a restaurant with a CartoonBomb and urges everyone to flee for their lives. The crowd promptly panics and escapes [[RuleOfFunny (except for two ladies who ignore Batman and keep eating their lunch as if nothing had happened)]].

** ''Film/{{Batman}}'' (1989). When the Joker's balloons release the Smilex gas, the crowds panic and try to get away.

* ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu''. Sousake finds his bottle of biowarfare agent has been opened, so puts on an NBC suit and puts the class into LockDown. Naturally his classmates FreakOut, and when Sousake tries to calm them down say it's all right for him as he's the only one wearing a HazmatSuit. Sousake then takes off his suit in a gesture of solidarity, which is immediately subverted when everyone beats him up for bringing a deadly virus into the classroom in the first place. They then panic again and try to break down the sealed door until Kaname succeeds in ShamingTheMob with a RousingSpeech. Unfortunately Sousake stuffs things up again by saying how [[ColdEquation there's only one antidote]].

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/LastActionHero''

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' has it as part of a plot to blow up a building without any innocent casualties. They stand still on the initial command to evacuate, and thus need a little nudge.

When someone besides the group of LivingProp guys do it, it's a MassOhCrap.