Fantasy became reality in the most shocking way last night.
In a reversal of the usual process, reality imitated art as a huge conflagration engulfed the massive sets built to launch the monster blockbuster.
Crowds were forced to flee and emergency services called in as the fire dramatically spread.
Eventually even the giant statue of King Kong himself was consumed in the blaze.
Unsurprisingly, many people who turned up to watch the premiere in Ho Chi Minh City thought that the flames were part of the red carpet pre-screening show.
News agencies on the scene reported that the blaze was eventually contained after around 15 minutes when emergency services arrived.
There conflicting reports, however, on how it all started.
Some outlets have reported that the fire started when flames jumped and spread across from the erupting volcanoes that were part of the lavish spectacle.
Other reports lay the blame with one of the performers. Dancers and actors were enacting scenes from the film and holding lit torches as they danced around the set, which included a jungle back-drop and huge dinosaur skeletons, as well as the Kong statue itself.
It is believed that one of the performers might have accidentally ignited the set that way or even set their torch down while it was still lit.
VN Express supplied footage of the terrifying blaze and reported that no injuries were sustained by performers or the public.
Impressively, the premiere still went ahead once the fires had been contained. Kong: Skull Island features Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson but none of the main stars of the film were in attendance.
Kong: Skull Island is out now
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
