The US cinema where the Batman killer gunned down 12 people has angered their relatives by inviting them to a special re-opening ceremony.

They have rejected the offer by the Century 16 complex in Aurora, calling it "disgusting".

James Holmes ,25, is currently awaiting trial accused of murder after he opened fire at random during a midnight screening of the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises last July.

Parents, grandparents, cousins and a widow of nine of the 12 killed released a letter sent to the cinema owner, Cinemark. The company has been renovating the Aurora theatre and plans to re-open it January 17.

The families said they were invited to an "evening of remembrance" followed by a movie. They said the company also had "awful timing" in sending the invitations two days after Christmas.

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