Wicked: Cinemas impose a “no singing” rule at select screenings as sing-a-longs continue over the weekend

• “Wicked” is on track to be one of the biggest box office openings in 2024.
• But the film is already eliciting some drama from the screenings that have taken place.
• So the debate begins - should you be able to sing along at cinema screenings?

Despite a rather rough marketing campaign and several omens before its release, “Wicked” is on course to be one of the year's biggest earners at the box office.

The Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande led production has already earned $164,180,000 USD worldwide (around £131 million) thanks to strong pre-sale tickets and the weekend totals, and even the most ardent of musical haters admitting, despite the marketing for the film, it actually is an incredible release for 2024.

But, with all the success comes some fine-tuning at the screenings: namely, the debate whether musicals such as ‘Wicked’ or in a previous case Taylor Swift’s concert film and the level of crowd participation at a cinema screening.

Online there have been reports of fans going to see the film and singing along to the musical numbers, akin to singing along with midnight screenings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” However, one cinema in the United States has announced a zero tolerance policy for the sake of other cinemagoers.

As reported by Vanity Fair, AMC, the world’s largest movie theatre chain, decided to get ahead of any disruptions by posting signs about movie etiquette that have been widely shared on social media. “To our guests seeing Wicked, we ask that you allow everyone to enjoy the cinema experience,” they read. “Please refrain from singing during the show.”

However, the rule has not been “plucked” out of the air, with the cinema chain once again expressing their policy that prohibits disruptive behaviour, no matter how enjoyable that disruption may be.

It was a sentiment that film critics in the United States agreed with; the esteemed critic Richard Roeper wrote: “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 theatre. They’re paying to hear Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, not you.”

While it might seem like a one off, there is a concern that with a raft of musical-themed movies on the horizon, including “Moana 2” opening this week, that singing along at the cinema might be par for course from here on in.

Dwayne Johnson was one of those during the red carpet premiere of “Moana 2” in London over the weekend who believes that the singing element should be part of the cinema experience.

In an interview with the BBC, Johnson told the broadcaster that people should “be free” to sing during the screenings; ““Sing! You’ve paid your hard earned money for a ticket, and you've gone into a musical, and you’re into it. Sing!"

Do you agree with cinemas looking to stop audience members from singing along to musicals such as “Wicked,” or do you think if people have paid for a ticket they’re entitled to sing along with the film? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.