SINGAPORE, Jan 10 — The police were called in last night after some members of a crowd of more than 100 — mostly foreign workers — got agitated when a movie premiere at REX Cinemas was cancelled at the last minute.
At least 10 police officers were seen controlling the crowd, as confusion reigned and frustration boiled over for some, who had queued for hours to catch the Tamil movie Veeram.
Construction worker T Shanmugam said he took leave to queue for the tickets and had made less money because he did not work. He said he had been queuing for 12 hours, from 6am yesterday. Another moviegoer, who only wanted to be known as Mr Seareavan, said he had been queuing from 10am to 6pm to buy the tickets.
The cinema had sold tickets for a 9pm and a 12.15am screening, but the staff at the cinema said they did not receive the digital password from India to air the movie.
At about 10.40pm, an employee from REX Cinemas told disappointed moviegoers that the screening was cancelled and that there would be three movie timings today — 11am, 6pm and midnight — which they could choose from, or they could also opt for a refund. “They got angry, but it’s not our fault,” said Mr Santhirasgarn, a REX Cinemas representative.
A police spokesperson said it received a call at about 9.02pm and that officers who arrived at the scene advised the parties involved — affected viewers and company staff — accordingly. “The company managed to resolve the matter amicably with the affected viewers. The viewers left the place thereafter. No incident was reported and no further police assistance was required,” she said. — Today
