L to R: Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in WICKED.
Universal ImageAs the first of two parts evil movie has officially hit theaters, a debate about theater etiquette has begun online.
Social media users have been debating whether or not it’s okay to sing along to the musical film, which premieres on November 22. For some fans, they watch the movie to hear the actors share their vocals, not the moviegoers.
“You better close the movie. I don’t want to hear one (note). None,” the TikTok user said in a September post. “I was there Ariana (Great) and Cynthia (Erivo). Don’t sing during the movie.”
However, some thespians have joked that they won’t be able to contain their excitement as they watch their beloved Broadway show on the big screen. “I sang an ensemble part in a theater for a villain. And I’ll do it again!!!! I know how to shut up!” one user X wrote on November 22.
Theater lovers and moviegoers alike are counting down the days until the premiere film adaptation of Broadway’s Wicked. Wicked made its stage debut in 2003, with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as witches Elphaba and Glinda. More than twenty years later, fans get a two-part movie version of the musical starring (…)
To satisfy both parties, the simultaneous version of the film will be released in theaters on Christmas Day. In the meantime, AMC is encouraging customers not to lose heart.
“At AMC Theaters, silence is golden,” says a voiceover in an ad before the movie, every few stores. “Don’t talk. No texting. Not singing. No crying. No Flirting. And absolutely no name-calling. Enjoy the magic of movies.”
Scroll down to see what the cast and crew are up to evil has said about the singing debate in the cinema:
Ariana Grande
Grande, 31, came down to singing fans in the theater – on one condition. “As soon as the people around you don’t become tired and cause a conversation,” he told BBC News at the film’s London premiere on November 18. “Live your life.”
In an interview with NBC News the next day, Grande admitted that she and Erivo, 37, know how singing is “tempting” for some audiences. “We know if you do it and if you don’t. We respect your feelings,” he said. “If someone’s throwing popcorn at you or your phone or whatever, maybe stop. … We support whatever makes them happy.
Cynthia Erivo
“Why not?” he told BBC News evil London premiere. “If it makes you happy. Be careful, this is what I mean.
Erivo also told NBC News that he hopes fans will listen to him and the cast of the song. “I say, if you come first and you sing through, sing through,” she told the outlet. “But come a second time and let us sing for you.”
Ethan Slater
“I think I’m of two minds,” Slater, 32, said of the debate during a Nov. 22 interview on Today. “It’s great to be in a theater full of people singing. At the same time, I also think that they do a show together, right, in December. And maybe this is the best place.
Jon M. Chu
The film’s director appeared to address the sing-along conflict in a celebratory Instagram post evil‘s release, encouraging fans to see the film in the way they choose.
“Check it out. See it in Dolby, in IMAX, in ScreenX any way you want, but see it with people. It makes it more fun,” she wrote alongside snaps from the Wicked press tour on November 21.
