Usually, when it’s said that a movie “set the house on fire,” it’s strictly metaphorical. But last night, at the Vietnamese premiere of Kong: Skull Island, a bit of pre-film entertainment went alarmingly wrong when a statue of King Kong suddenly caught fire.
At the red-carpet event in Ho Chi Minh City, audiences were enjoying a dance routine when a miniature volcano on the stage malfunctioned. The flames enguled the rest of the stage, including a 16-foot statue of Kong. There were no injuries reported at the scene, and the screening continued as planned, shortly after the fire was put out.
In a statement, a Vietnamese rep for Warner Brothers said that “There was a small fire at an outdoor atrium at CGV Cinema in Ho Chi Minh City during a Kong: Skull Island opening event. We are very grateful that no one was hurt. The fire was extinguished quickly and after all was deemed safe, the resiliency of Kong’s Vietnamese fans came through when they filled the theater to enjoy the film. We want to express our gratitude to the Ho Chi Minh City fire department, who kept everyone in attendance safe, as well as the CGV management, who acted quickly to address the situation.”
Sky News released some cell phone footage of the event, as the fire began and the gathered crowd was forced to quickly disperse:
Truly a lit movie premiere for the ages. Meanwhile, Kong: Skull Island is in theaters everywhere now.
