Family members of moviegoers who perished in the mass shooting at the Century Aurora 16 theater on July 20th are livid over an invitation by theater owner Cinemark to attend a movie screening at the reopened theater as part of a "special evening of remembrance."

The invitation, distributed by the controversial Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance, reached the families of victims around Christmastime, compounding their grief.

In an open letter to Cinemark, 15 family members of nine victims blasted Cinemark for responding to their requests for facetime with an insensitive invitation to watch a movie in the same place where their loved ones were killed.

"Our family members will never be on this earth with us again and a movie ticket and some token words from people who didn't care enough to reach out to us, nor respond when we reached out to them to talk, is appalling," the letter reads, in part.

The families go on to call for a boycott of the Century Aurora 16 theater, which is set to reopen on January 17.

Cinemark, which is currently facing several lawsuits from victims' families over inadequate security on the night of the shooting, told ABC News it wouldn't comment on the letter. COVA executive director Nancy Lewis also had no comment.

Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, meanwhile, told the Denver Post he plans to attend the theater's reopening, adding that it was part of the community's healing process.

"The process of grieving and healing is long, painful and difficult," Hogan wrote in an email to the Post. "As we take steps to heal and move forward as a community, I expect people will experience a range of emotions."

Colorado governor John Hickenlooper also plans to attend the grand reopening.

[photo via AP]