The movie “Wicked” is proving popular as expected, taking the No. 1 slot at the box office during its first weekend of release. But some of its fans are defying theater etiquette — not gravity — by singing along with the musical, to the consternation of other theatergoers.
“Not everyone thinks the movie theater is just for viewing,” said The New York Times. One “Wicked” fan, 28-year-old Leah Barnes, said people who want to watch the movie without listening to other viewers sing along in the theater should “please wait to stream it.” The movie’s musical charms are irresistible, she said. “You can’t stop someone who loves it so much.” Such attitudes, though, are creating a backlash. “You wouldn’t sing at a Broadway show,” said Jordan Cray, another fan, “so why would you sing at this movie?” At least one theater chain agrees: AMC banned sing-alongs at “Wicked.”
The debate comes at a tricky moment for cinemas, with the business struggling in the wake of the pandemic. There are also a growing number of fights over theater etiquette, YouGov said. The Alamo Drafthouse chain enforces rules against “talking, texting, late arrivals, children under 6 and unaccompanied minors.” A survey found that most Americans are fine if their fellow moviegoers whisper to each other, but they become intolerant when viewer noise rises to compete with the sound of the movie. YouGov’s polling did not include how Americans feel about singing in the cinema. Still, it is clear that some theater sounds “are less welcome than others,” said YouGov.
What did the commentators say?
A “group of theater kids ruined everything” at one screening of “Wicked,” Eleanor Katelaris said at The New York Post. It is understandable that fans are “excited, and you want to show your friends that you know all the words.” But movies are for communal viewing, not impromptu talent shows. The theater is “not your home or shower.” Respect for other viewers means piping down. “We are all here to see the movie,” Katelaris said, “not to listen to your slightly off-key rendition of ‘Dancing Through Life.'”
“Theaters, concerts and cinemas have always been battlegrounds of etiquette,” Patrick Lenton said at The Guardian. In any place where two or more people are gathered, “someone will be annoying.” It is true that singing at the movies is “annoying and disrespectful both to the people around you and to the performers themselves.” It is surprising that people would think otherwise. If etiquette does not discourage would-be belters, Lanton said, the cringe factor should: “It should be deeply embarrassing to inflict your voice without consent on the public.”
What next?
There’s at least one prominent figure defending the impromptu sing-alongs. Dwayne Johnson — who stars in the animated musical “Moana 2” — endorses audience participation, said BBC News. “You’ve paid your hard earned money for a ticket, and you’ve gone into a musical, and you’re into it. Sing,” Johnson said.
The stars of “Wicked” are trying to stay neutral, said US Weekly. “We understand it, if you do and if you don’t. We respect the feelings,” Ariana Grande told NBC News. “Be considerate, is what we’re asking,” said Cynthia Erivo. There might be room for both sides: A sing-along version of the movie will be released Christmas Day.