Both moviegoers and exhibitors are tingling with excitement over the arrival of Universal’s movie musical WICKED, boosting ticket sales after a sleepy fall season. However, the rush of moviegoers comes with a unique challenge for theatre staff, determining how best to manage the urge some moviegoers feel to sing along with the musical numbers.
The movie is a film adaptation of the highly popular Broadway musical, with songs such as “Popular,” “I’m Not That Girl” and “Defying Gravity” that are well-known to many fans. Last fall, exhibitors were faced with a similar dilemma when they were showered with complaints about rowdy sing-alongs during Taylor Swift’s “Eras” concert film. Fearing the worst, some exhibitors issued preemptive warnings to moviegoers this weekend that they should not sing out loud during WICKED.
Universal has tried to channel the infectious energy by scheduling special “sing-along” screenings on December 25th, for those moved to express their joy audibly. While it remains to be seen whether the chaos can be contained, this is a clear indication of sky-high interest in WICKED and a problem that exhibitors would much rather deal with than the alternative of playing movies in empty auditoriums.