'No bag checks, couldn't breathe': RWS faces backlash after Pyjama Man incident at Wicked premiere
No bag checks. Slanted barricades. Overcrowded.
Attendees at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good on Nov 13 are blasting Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in the wake of the Pyjama Man incident, citing security lapses and poor crowd management that left many feeling unsafe.
At the premiere, pop star Ariana Grande was lunged at on the yellow carpet by the notorious Australian TikToker Johnson Wen, the self-styled Pyjama Man who has since been charged by police for being a public nuisance.
Videos circulating online revealed that he managed to jump the barrier not once, but twice, before he reached Grande, prompting many to ask: "How weak was the security even?"
'I'm still pissed off, poor management'
The incident has since sparked a wave of posts from attendees recounting their experiences during the premiere and blaming the management. Many expressed concern for Grande, alluding to her concert at the Manchester Arena in 2017, when a bombing resulted in 22 fatalities and left the singer traumatised.
TikToker @dewychoo criticised Pyjama Man's stunt, warning that the incident could have consequences for any concerts in Singapore: "Ariana might be so scared of Singapore."
Posted on Nov 13, the clip has since racked up more than 840,800 views, 103,800 reactions and 394 comments as of press time.
Ticket holders like Natasha, who paid $93 for her pass, also expressed disappointment with the event, highlighting safety concerns at the premiere.
"Seeing Ariana get attacked after this with the security not intervening in time was extremely distressing," she wrote in her TikTok post.
She also claimed that the "crowd crush" occurred due to poor planning and understaffing, while noting that no bag checks were conducted, raising serious security concerns.
'I want a refund sia': Netizen
"I couldn't breath," another netizen wrote, while one commented: "People were just pushing the whole time."
"They could've opened the park to the public and then closed it at a certain time to let in the premiere ticket holders," one user said. "They couldn't even differentiate who had the premiere tickets, so people just gathered anywhere and the crowd control was terrible."
Many felt that the premiere reflected poorly on Singapore's image as a tourist destination, with some criticising incidents such as a park cleaner wiping rainwater from the yellow carpet toward ticket holders waiting by the barrier.
"Thank god I refunded mine," one user commented. In October, there was an uproar when fans discovered that the $93 tickets only allowed access to the yellow carpet, and not to watch the movie itself.
Many sought refunds from RWS at the time, and many who attended the Nov 13 premiere are also asking for refunds.
Stomp has reached out to Resort World Sentosa for comment.
