Tell Us

Tell us: Is it appropriate to sing along at the movies?

Movie-musical ‘Wicked,’ set to release on Friday, has movie-goers debating whether or not it is appropriate to sing along.

From left, Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in WICKED, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo courtesy of Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

By Nia Harmon

November 20, 2024

2 minutes to read

To sing, or not to sing, that is the big question — at least surrounding the release of the new “Wicked” movie.

The three-time Tony-winning musical is coming to the big screen on Nov. 22 with the first film of the two-part movie adaptation.

First hitting Broadway in October of 2003, the musical was adapted from the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire. Set before Dorothy landed in Oz, the book tells the tale of how the Wicked Witch, Elphaba, came to be.

Originally starring Broadway icons Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda The Good Witch, the tale follows the friendship turned rivalry of the two witches dating back to their school days in Oz. The musical quickly became a fan-favorite, and is now among the highest grossing Broadway musicals of all time.

Starring British actress and singer Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and global pop-star Ariana Grande as Glinda, fans will get to see their favorite witches in theaters across the country starting this Friday. The film has been split into two parts in order to preserve the storyline as best as possible, explained the movie’s director Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) in a social media post back in 2022. The sequel release date is set for Nov. 21, 2025.

With fans anticipating seeing the musical come to life on the big screen, debates have sparked online about whether or not movie-goers should sing along. According to The Independent, AMC is emphasizing movie theater etiquette with a preshow advisory that reads: “At AMC Theaters, silence is golden. No talking. No texting. No singing. No wailing. No Flirting. And absolutely no name-calling. Enjoy the magic of movies.”

While this policy has already been in place as a measure to prevent uninterrupted viewing experiences, these rules are especially important for this particular movie which will include some of the hit-musicals most famed songs “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” among others, explained AMC spokesperson, Ryan Noonan, to IndyStar.

This notice has sparked debate across social media, with people who are both in favor and against the no-singing rule. Some even suggested that theaters host sing-along screenings for fans who would like to participate.

Comedy band Lewberger took to TikTok with their opinions on the decision, captioning the video, “Don’t sing during the Wicked movie.”

@lewbergermusic Don’t sing during the Wicked movie #fyp #foryou #theatrekid ♬ original sound – lewberger

On X, users have been very vocal on both sides of the fence about whether or not singing should be allowed.

Just a reminder, I BETTER not hear any singing from the audience at Wicked pic.twitter.com/PxpFhio7EG
— Jörk – stream brat (@jcamp96) November 14, 2024

PSA: Before y’all start wilding, just a reminder. the Wicked movie is based on the Broadway musical, so yes, there will be singing. Let’s not repeat the clueless takes like we saw with The Color Purple.
— Javier Sparks (@PilatesPapii) November 20, 2024

How do you feel about singing along to movies at the theater? Are you all for it, or is it a complete no-go? Why should or shouldn’t people sing along during this iconic adaptation? Let us know by filling out the form below or send an email to [email protected] and your response may be featured in an upcoming article.

Sorry. This form is no longer available.

Nia Harmon

Community Co-op

Nia Harmon is a community co-op for Boston.com and a journalism student at Emerson College. She is a journalism major with a minor in media studies at Emerson College. She is a native of Dallas, Texas.