Disney called off the Zootopia 2 premiere in Hong Kong “out of respect” for victims of the fire that tore through an apartment complex on Wednesday.
At least 94 people were killed after seven of the eight residential towers at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po caught fire. Several dozen people were injured and over 270 remained missing as of Friday morning. The deadliest fire in the Chinese city for nearly 80 years also forced some 900 of the housing complex’s 4,800 residents to move to temporary shelters.
Police arrested two directors and an engineering consultant at Prestige Construction, which was contracted to perform maintenance, on suspicion of manslaughter. The city authorities accused the “grossly negligent” firm of using unsafe building materials.
In the wake of the tragedy, Disney cancelled a scheduled appearance by actor Joey Yung at the “Zootopia 2 Selected Magic Access Members Special Screening” as well as “the evening Gala Premiere” at Hong Kong Disneyland on 27 November.
Yung voices the character of Judy Hopps in the Cantonese dub of the animated movie.
Zootopia 2 stars Ginnifer Goodwin as the rabbit cop Hopps and Jason Bateman as her fox friend Nick Wilde who team up to investigate the town’s mysterious new reptilian resident Gary De'Snake, voiced by Ke Huy Quan.
Hong Kong Disneyland said on Instagram that “follow-up arrangements” for the film’s screening would be announced soon, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Additionally, Disney cancelled a planned fireworks show as well as other theme park events.
“Guests who entered the park today with a valid ticket may use the original ticket for revisit on another day within six months from the day of entry,” it said.
Disney’s were among a number of events cancelled or pared back across Hong Kong while rescue operations at Wang Fuk Court continued.
The 2025 Mama Awards, the largest K-pop awards show, was scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Kai Tak Stadium. The production company CJ ENM announced that the show would “transition to a format of ‘mourning’ and ‘comfort’”, according to a report in Chosun Daily.
The red carpet ceremony was cancelled and several K-pop management agencies and idols announced they were making donations towards relief efforts.
Actors Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-fat, as well as Hong Kong band Mirror, were also set to make appearances at the event, but pulled out.
“MAMA expresses deep condolences to the victims and their families. This year’s awards ceremony will include a ‘Support Hong Kong’ message to prepare a time of remembrance and participate in activities donations to support the victims,” the organisers said.
Singer Jace Chan said ticket sales for her concert, scheduled to open on Friday, had been postponed, Time Out reported.
“It feels inappropriate to proceed with ticket sales at a time like this,” she said on her Instagram. “I have decided to delay the public sale originally planned for this Friday.”
At MacPherson Stadium, concerts by Arvin Tsang, Angela Hui, and Ken Hung set for 28-30 November were postponed.
Oxfam announced on Facebook it had cancelled the Trailwalker, a fundraising hiking event that was set for 28 to 30 November, to “allow the government and rescuers to focus their resources on the rescue effort”.
The charity said it would “allocate all public donations and supplies raised by Oxfam Carrier 2025 to support fire-affected residents and help them overcome difficulties”.
Rescuers are still scouring the housing complex’s smouldering remains for survivors. The fire is expected to be extinguished by Friday evening, deputy director of the fire services Derek Armstrong Chan said, adding that firefighters had found survivors in several of the buildings.
The blaze started on the external scaffolding of a 32-storey tower, engulfed its bamboo scaffolding and construction netting, moved inside the building, and eventually leapt to nearby high-rises, likely aided by windy conditions.
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