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Is it ever OK to sing along at the movies? Readers say ‘never.’
Eighty-six percent of respondents said it's 'never' OK to sing at the movies.
Although the highly anticipated movie-musical “Wicked” is out in theaters, that does not mean it’s time to give your own performance alongside Elphaba and Glinda.
In true “Wicked” fashion, the movie took the box office by storm opening weekend breaking multiple records in the genre.
Starring icons on the screen and stage, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West and Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good Witch made for a powerhouse duo, sending movie-goers on a rollercoaster of emotions and nostalgia. Excitement for the first installment of the film was so great that the movie raked in $165 million in ticket sales this past weekend, according to Variety.
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But ticket sales aren’t the only great feat for the movie. Setting records at home and abroad, the movie-musical currently ranks number one as the biggest opening weekend for a broadway adaptation (domestic), third-best movie debut of 2024 (domestic), and fifth largest debut in history for a musical (global), to name a few.
With great excitement for the movie, fans took to social media to lay down the law for what-not-to-do during the almost three-hour experience.
Movie theaters and fans alike asked movie-goers to refrain from singing out of respect for everybody’s watching experience. This quickly sparked discourse on social media, with people both for and against singing along to the iconic soundtrack.
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AMC Theaters included their standard rules for the movie experience – including silencing phones and no talking – which fans stressed to be even more important for the viewing of “Wicked.”
Still, there is still not a general consensus for whether or not singing is appropriate for the theater. During press for Disney’s new “Moana 2” starring Auliʻi Cravalho as “Moana” and Dwayne Johnson as “Maui,” a BBC News reporter asked them if movie-goers should sing, to which both actors encouraged. The movie comes out this Wednesday.
Last week, we asked readers to share their opinion on the topic. Based on the responses, traditional theatre etiquette is for the win on this issue. Most readers say that singing during a movie is a hard ‘no.’
Is it ever OK to sing along at the movies?
Yes, it's OK to sing.
3%
No, never.
86%
It depends.
11%
“Why do people in public ever think other people want to hear them sing? It’s bad enough when people sing along in stores, etc. I absolutely don’t want to hear random people singing anything in public. Even if they have a good voice (which is doubtful!) It absolutely detracts from the enjoyment of the movie,” wrote one reader in response to our poll question.
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One reader – similar to Dwayne Johnson’s response – believes that there’s nothing wrong with singing along.
“People pay for their seats to go out and have fun!!! When we pay to see a live concert with the most talented for years and years before these young actors were even thought of, they encourage their audience to sing along and enjoy!!! get over yourselves, sing alongs have been around forever, they bring people together,” wrote one reader.
Others said that singing is only appropriate if the occasion calls for it, like at sing-along showings.
“If it’s okay to sing along at the live event, it’s okay to sing at the movies. So movie musicals like Wicked are a NO, but concert movies like the Taylor Swift Eras Tour are a yes,” wrote Gail from Quincy.
Here’s a sampling of how readers feel about singing in movie theaters.
No, never.
“I am going to see the movie to see the acting and hear the professional vocalists without the interference of other voices, whether they are speaking, have beautiful tones or are offensive to my senses. If you want to sing along, purchase the CD or stream the music. The video will be out soon enough and you can then sing your brains out at home.”
– Gail, Stow
“Don’t ruin the movie for those who are experiencing ‘Wicked’ for the first time. I understand wanting to sing along but you can do that in the privacy of your own living room when it hits the streaming services.”
– Deb D.
“Singing, talking, phones, crying babies, etc. should not be allowed while watching a movie in a theater. You can do all those things while watching a movie at home and annoy only your family, friends and neighbors rather than a theater full of people who paid to see and hear the movie.”
– Tom, Quincy
“This is a movie, not a group sing along! You wouldn’t start singing at a play, would you? I would be ON FIRE I’d be so annoyed. I didn’t even think this was a question!”
– Anonymous
“Some people are hearing impaired, when too many people are talking or singing it completely drowns out the sound of the movie. Show some consideration, I paid the same price for the ticket as you, I deserve to hear the movie clearly just like you.”
– Sean, Plymouth
“Why do people in public ever think other people want to hear them sing? It’s bad enough when people sing along in stores, etc. I absolutely don’t want to hear random people singing anything in public. Even if they have a good voice (which is doubtful!) It absolutely detracts from the enjoyment of the movie.”
– Anonymous
“Going to the movies is an expensive night out these days. We pay high ticket prices to hear the professional singers, not the self proclaimed amazing singers in the audience.”
– Anonymous
It depends.
“I’m not paying to sit in a theater and listen to your terrible rendition of a song. I paid to watch and listen to the professionals on screen. HOWEVER, theaters should have viewings that allow singing as there is clearly a market for it and it would also give an outlet to people who want to, which would hopefully eliminate people singing in the other showings.”
– Mike, Southie
“How….how is this even a question? For every movie not named ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ the answer is no. Of course it’s not okay to sing along [in] a movie, even if it’s a musical. I bet the people who sing along at movie screenings are the same people who listen to music without headphones on the train.”
– Hubert D., Salem
If you really do want to sing, maybe do like this user on TikTok, and wait until you are out of the movie to belt your favorite tunes.
@savannahsinging my friend also gave me $50 so can i say im a professional singer now? a 6 second $150 gig 😌💀 #wickedmovie #wicked #defyinggravity #defyinggravitychallenge #defyinggravitywicked #riff #riffchallenge #embarrassing #ididit #aaaAAaAaaaAaaaAAaAaAaAaaaaa ♬ original sound – Savannah Singing 🩵
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