Movie Theaters Are Getting Serious About Stopping Theater Kids From Singing Along to 'Wicked'

The Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo-led movie Wicked is taking over screens all across the globe, however, one chain is making an effort to stop people from singing along to the songs.

According to The Daily Beast, movie theater chain AMC is planning on airing a 30-second ad that encourages moviegoers to not scream along to any of the songs that appear in the movie.

Wicked is one of the most highly anticipated movies to come out this year, and given the mainstream popularity of the songs, it's no surprise that more enthusiastic viewers can't help but sing along. Angela Weir, who attended an early screening of Wicked, shared her thoughts on people singing in the movie.

"It started slow. Then people heard each other—it was like they encouraged each other. It was a beautiful scene, and then you're taken out of it," she told The New York Times.

However, all is not lost for those who want to belt out the movie's signature tunes like "Defying Gravity" and "Popular" because Variety reports that an active sing-along version of the movie is set to hit theaters on Dec. 25 in over 1,000 screens across North America.

With the addition of a sing-along screening of the movie, it joins other musicals like The Greatest Showman and the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody to do so.

Grande and Erivo star in Wicked, which is the story about everything that happens before Dorothy lands in Oz and saunters down that iconic Yellow Brick Road. The story takes place before, during and after The Wizard of Oz and details the unlikely friendship of Elphaba and Glinda, which is torn apart by external forces.

The movie is already receiving praise, with Grande's performance in particular standing out. She is reportedly among the early contenders for the 2025 Oscars where she is predicted to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Glinda.

So far, the film has been a success, earning $19.2 million from early previews, according to Variety. The outlet reports that Wicked is on track to earn between $100 million and $110 million during its opening weekend with some estimates at $130 million.

Tags

Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Wicked