‘Wicked’ Has A Singing Problem

Not only has Wicked blown up the box office—it took in$114 million domestic, $50.2 million international over the weekend—but it is also causing consternation in  theaters which has, not surprisingly, spilled over to X, where people are grappling like this is a UFC fight.

yeah fuck it. sing in the cinema. film in the cinema. chat and scroll and kick your feet up. the theatre is a theme park and the movies are junk like your collectible popcorn bucket. who cares https://t.co/jGtIC7LZCB

— gal kilmer (@beepupkin) November 25, 2024

The issue is that of viewers becoming participants. People are paying approximately $14.75 to see a $150-million production of professionals and some of them are not simply watching the movie but deciding that their vocals need to supplement those of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

This quickly got to the point where AMC Theaters created a quick pre-feature ad with a voice over admonishing patrons: “No talking. No texting. No singing. No wailing. No flirting.”

It is the middle of that warning sandwich—“No singing”—that is the clear concern. Apparently the one in the middle—the singing—is what is of greatest concern.

YouGov has recently completed a survey of movie-going behaviors that people find to be disruptive. As they conducted it October 9-12, 2024, Wicked was not part of the scene, which could have led to some different findings.

That is, the top five issues are:

1. Video chat on their phone
2. Leave trash at your seat when exiting
3. Talk on their phone
4. Reveal plot points before they happen
5. Put their feet on the seat in front of them

So numbers 1, 3 and 4 are adding unnecessary audio (although most of the people who went to the opening weekend of Wicked probably didn’t need to share any plot points, having read the books and most likely seen some version of the Broadway show).

Number 9 on the YouGov list is something that is part of the X conflagration conversation: “Take a photo or video.” 68 percent of those surveyed are against that. Still, there are those on X who are suggesting people take screen shots and then share them, probably to boost their social-media impressions.

And “Sing along to music in the movie” comes in at #16, with 47 percent finding that objectionable—again, (1) pre-Wicked and (2) probably influenced by repeated midnight viewers of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Singing along is actually less objectionable that “Make out with someone,” #14 on the list with 52 percent being against that behavior, so perhaps AMC has something with its no flirting rule.

While all of this may seem rather superfluous, it is actually damned serious for theater operators, who are desperate to get people wanting to see movies in their venues.

The National Association of Theatre Owners recently said the eight largest theater chains in the U.S. and Canada—over 21,000 screens and 67 percent of the box office–are investing $2.2 billion over the next three years to modernize their facilities.

Said Michael O’Leary, NATO president and CEO, “There is no question that movie fans of all ages love heading to the local theatre to see great movies on the big screen. But the competition for consumers’ hard-earned dollars is fiercer than ever.

“Going to the theatre is an unparalleled entertainment experience, and exhibitors are dedicated to making every visit to their theatres memorable.”

Presumably a visit with someone caterwauling “Defying Gravity” is a memory people would rather not experience. And no amount of investment is going to change that, unless the investment includes headphones for each seat that cancels the noise from other patrons.

Consider this: in 2019, 1,224,171,958 movie tickets sold in the U.S., according to The Numbers.

Then COVID hit the following year so the number was down to 220,161,681 in 2020—18 percent of the year before.

Meanwhile, the streaming services came into their own. While Netflix and Amazon Prime Video had been around for a while (the former 1997; the latter2006), Disney+ and Apple TV+ both propitiously launched in November 2019. Movie fans of all ages suddenly discovered they didn’t have to go to the local theatre to see great movies on big screens—they could stay on their couches.

Last year theaters sold 828,935,632 tickets—68 percent of 2019. And while this year—thanks to movies like Wicked—shows a continued upward trajectory, it is unlikely to best the numbers achieved by theaters FIVE YEARS AGO.

So do you think that theater owners want to have conditions that will keep people from going into their venues—like people performing inappropriate acts, like doing what they think is singing?

It would be one thing if Idina Menzel was on one side of you and Kristin Chenoweth the other, but that’s not going to happen at your local multiplex.

me at the wicked premiere when the theatre kids wont stop singing over ariana and cynthia pic.twitter.com/B8lCjvCZer

— donovan (@agsblunts) November 9, 2024