Dwayne Johnson Enters the ‘Wicked’ Singing Discourse With a Controversial Take

Last week it was reported that fans at early screenings of Wicked were disrupting the film by singing along to its many musical numbers. This generated intense discourse online, with both sides of the argument weighing in on whether it’s appropriate conduct, with the majority of folks saying that a movie theater is not the place for a sing-a-long. Now, Moana 2 star Dwayne Johnson has added his two cents to the mix, and to no one’s surprise, he’s all in favor of belting out your favorite tunes, even if you can’t sing.

During the UK premiere of Moana 2, Johnson was asked by the BBC on the red carpet if he thought it was good form to sing in theaters. Like Wicked, the Disney sequel has a few musical numbers to look forward to, and for Johnson, he said that as long as people have forked over their cash for a movie ticket, they should be allowed to have a little fun at the expense of others who are there simply to enjoy the film without the added bonus of karaoke.

The news of singing during Wicked screenings prompted AMC to take a firm stance on the matter, with the theater chain going so far as to post signs urging moviegoers to make the experience a pleasurable one for everybody. “To our guests seeing Wicked, we ask that you allow everyone to enjoy the cinema experience.” the signs read. “Please refrain from singing during the show.” This prompted some to call for theaters to have special “sing-a-long” screenings of the movie that would allow the audience to go wild, and while that’s actually a pretty good idea (and a way to make some extra cash), there’s no word yet on if it’ll happen.

Instead of Singing, People Are Taking Pictures During ‘Wicked’

As if singing along in the theater wasn’t bad enough, a social media thread on Saturday from user @nat_dwbua_ on X encouraged people to post their photos from Wicked (seen above). This prompted a slew of others to show shots from the movie, and while most of them were of the title screen at the beginning, there were a few who took snaps of scenes elsewhere in the film.

“Thread of the absolute worst people in the world,” said @dogwood_maple, and frankly, we have to agree. While singing can be forgiven to a certain degree, seeing as how Wicked is a musical, taking your phone out during the middle of a movie, no matter the subject, is just bad form. MovieWeb covered the resurgence of the phone discourse earlier this year, with the bulk of people once more agreeing that taking out your mobile device during a film is a big no-no, and ruins the experience for everyone.

So, while Johnson might be in favor of singing along to Wicked’s musical numbers, if you’re one of the ones that agree with him, don’t be surprised to get some push back from others that are there to hear Ariana Grande, and not your out of tune version of “Popular.” If you want to sing, wait to do it at home, or – like others have suggested – ask your local theater to have special screenings just for you and your theater-kid buddies.

Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Cast

Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd

Runtime

160 Minutes

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