The buzz forWickedis in the air, and ahead of the film’s upcoming release, AMC Theatres has released a new ad to remind audiences not to sing during the movie.Wickedis the long-awaited adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, whose songs have been memorized and sung by fans for years. WithWicked’s early box-office tracking and incredibly strong reviews, many are now preparing for – and dreading – the idea of people singing along to the movie.
AMC Theatres, viaVice, has unveiled an ad playing before every movie, reminding audiences not to sing along during the film. The 30-second ad, which features scenes fromWickedand is narrated by Jeff Goldblum, who plays the Wizard of Oz in the film, reminds viewers, “At AMC Theatres, silence is golden. No talking. No texting. No singing. No wailing. No Flirting. And absolutely no name-calling. Enjoy the magic of movies.” AMC spokesperson Ryan Noonan gave a statement toThe Indianapolis Starsaying in an email:
“AMC has a long-standing policy that prohibits disruptive behavior. 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.”
AMC Theatres realized the need for this ad ahead of time, as locations have been playing it in front of films for about a month now. There are reports ofvarious theatergoers singing during the movie’s advance screening, upsetting fellow audience members. While Universal Pictures has refused to weigh in on the inappropriate singing, audiences who want to sing along only need to wait a month as the studio has already confirmedWickedsing-along screenings around Christmas, providing two major holiday weekends for fans to rush out to seeWicked. One without singing, and one where they can belt out their favorite songs.
Don’t Sing During the Movie
The discussion around whether it is appropriate to sing during a popular movie with iconic songs is a relatively recent phenomenon. There was no genuine concern about this when 2017’sBeauty and the Beastor 2021’sWest Side Storyhit theaters. Yet in 2023, AMC Theatres and many other chains allowed moviegoers to sing and dance for bothTaylor Swift: The Eras TourandRenaissance: A Film by Beyoncé– within reason. It is a littleunderstandable with concert films,as there isn’t a narrative an audience member is distracted from, and the film is designed to resemble a concert, where fans sing along. But a movie theater has more in common with a Broadway show, and if you wouldn’t sing along during a Broadway show, then you shouldn’t sing during a movie because it would be rude to disrupt other audience members.
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While AMC’s ad to remind audience members not to sing is a valiant effort, its actual effect of deterring people from singing might not fully work. After all, there have beenads for years reminding people to turn off their phones during movies, and plenty of moviegoers still text during a film or even record the screen, sometimes in the hope of sharing an image online. Theater etiquette has become a significant topic of conversation among many film fans, and disruptive behavior is one of the primary reasons why many moviegoers have opted to wait for some major releases to hit streaming instead of rushing out to the theater. WithWickedset to be one of the biggest films of the year, more people are expected to turn out for it, so with that in mind, be considerate of others.
