Cinema chaos during screening of box-office winner Barbie at TGV cinema in Petaling

MALAYSIA: A TikTok video showcasing an explosive scene at a TGV Cinema in Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, Petaling, has taken the internet by storm.

The video, uploaded by TikTok user @eclent, captures a woman — allegedly under the influence of alcohol — engaged in a heated confrontation with fellow moviegoers during a screening of the Barbie movie, a box-office winner from Warner Bros that raked in $356.3M at its global launch.

https://www.tiktok.com/@eclent/video/7258312821585300737

Eyewitnesses claim that the woman and a male companion not only brought alcoholic drinks into the cinema but also disturbed others with incessant talking throughout the movie.

As tensions escalated, the frustrated audience members advised the woman to maintain silence. In response, she flung her alcoholic beverage at those who reprimanded her.

Since its posting, the video has gone viral on TikTok, garnering a staggering three million views and sparking a deluge of 1682 comments from netizens.

One user expressed their disbelief, stating, “My temper would never allow me to be calm in this situation.”

Meanwhile, another sarcastically suggested, “Why don’t bring a laptop and study there, right?”

In addition to discussing the incident, netizens also voiced concerns about TGV Cinema’s management and the alleged lack of supervision. 

A user questioned, “Where are those staff who supposed to be there and monitor these kinds of things? must be playing phone outside.”

Given TGV’s reputation for stringent checks, another recounted how they once managed to sneak in bread but were still inspected.

In a significant development, @tammytripodcat, the person targeted with the thrown drink, revealed, “I have lodged a police report on Sunday night – waiting for the next course of action from @PDRM @TGV Cinemas.”

TGV issues response on incident

TGV Cinema, in response to the incident, issued an official statement expressing regret and apologizing to its guests at TGV Sunway Pyramid.

In light of the video’s viral spread, TGV Cinemas posted an official statement on Twitter, assuring their commitment to investigating the matter and working with the authorities to address the issue.

pic.twitter.com/Lnv23fswDO

— TGV Cinemas 🇲🇾 (@TGVCinemas) July 24, 2023

Richie, user @eclent, claimed to have reached out to TGV Cinemas directly after the incident. Still, others suggested that the cinema’s response appeared to be a generic template used for similar incidents.

TGV’s response (photo: TikTok/@eclent)

A user, @m21dy.hew, shared the latest update, stating that TGV had personally called and apologized to her boyfriend, offering them ticket vouchers for TGV Indulge. However, as she wasn’t present with her boyfriend at the time, she couldn’t provide further details on his experience.

As of a day ago, @eclent reported that they had yet to receive a call from TGV.