It’s been a little while since we’ve had a true-blue musical in theaters, but Wicked changed that in a big way over the weekend, debuting to an enormous $164.2 million. But it’s also re-ignited an old theater etiquette debate: should you be able to sing along during your screenings?
For what it’s worth, AMC, the biggest theater chain in the United States, has already made its stance clear. A short Wicked-themed video tells the audience before the movie starts, “At AMC Theaters, silence is golden. No talking. No texting. No singing. No wailing. No Flirting. And absolutely no name-calling. Enjoy the magic of movies.” Speaking to IndyStar (via The Independent), AMC spokesperson Ryan Noonan pointed out that AMC always has a “no talking” PSA at the beginning of screenings, but they especially wanted to get ahead of any spontaneous “Defying Gravity” karaoke.
“The Wicked preshow spot incorporates the themes of the film as a fun, engaging reminder to moviegoers to not disrupt the experience for those around them as they enjoy the show,” Noonan said in a statement.
Meanwhile, some on social media have posted signs they’ve seen at their local cinemas advising against singing along with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Theaters are putting up signs asking audiences to refrain from singing during ‘WICKED’ pic.twitter.com/2hFow6awe2
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 20, 2024
Luckily, excited theater kids will have their chance to belt to their hearts’ content in a theater-sanctioned way at certain sing-a-along screenings that have already been set for Christmas week. But in the meantime, there are a lot of moviegoers who agree with AMC’s current stance.
“Y’all are singing in the move theater? I’ll wait til Wicked is on streaming services because I’ll fight someone lmao,” wrote one X/Twitter user. “To the insufferable singers ruining everyone’s Wicked experience from day one; You wouldn’t sing in the theatre, why are you singing in the cinema?,” added another.
“Unless it’s a special, ‘singalong’ event, YOU should be the one to wait to stream it, so you can sing to your heart’s content at home, rather than ruining the experience for everyone else at the theater,” wrote Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper. “They’re paying to hear Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, not you.”
That being said, it’s a fairly divisive subject, and the stars of Wicked have even weighed in with their own thoughts. During an interview with Stayed Tuned NBC, Grande and Erivo were asked about audiences singing in the theater, to which Grande acknowledged, “it’s tempting. We understand it. We understand it if you do and if you don’t, we respect the feelings.”
“I say if you come the first time and you sing through, sing through,” added Erivo. “But come a second time and let us sing to you.”
Funny enough, Wicked isn’t the only film this month that might inspire some audience participation. Moana 2 will join Wicked in theaters this weekend, and star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has already given fans the OK to sing along.
“They’re paying to hear Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, not you.”
“Sing! You’ve paid your hard earned money for a ticket, and you’ve gone into a musical, and you’re into it. Sing,” he told BBC News in a recent interview.
Wicked only just released and likely has a long theatrical run ahead of it, so this is probably only the beginning of this particular debate. For more, check out our 9/10 review of Wicked, where we called it “a dazzling adaptation of one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals.”
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
