“Wicked”, “Vaiana 2”… At the cinema, is your neighbor allowed to sing during the movie?

She didn't go to the cinema with her friends but with “that chorus”. American actress Kristen Bell, revealed by the series Veronica Mars before lending her voice to Anna in The Snow Queenproved it by sharing on Instagram what happened during the screening of Wicked which she attended.

Cult musical comedy born on Broadway more than 20 years ago, this magical genesis of Wizard of Oz worn by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande offers a wonderful adaptation on the big screen which furiously makes you want to sing. The actress's friends did not hesitate to do so, going so far as to get up to dance as close as possible to the image. A dream for some, “a nightmare scenario” for an Internet user who comments on these not really new images.

Because if the event organized by Kristen Bell was private, other public sessions in the United States were swept away by the tornado Wicked. Some intrepid people even tried their hand at the perilous note at the end of the song “Defying Gravity”. Without wondering what their neighbors would think. The question of whether it was permissible to sing during the film arose even before its release.

On TikTok, videos calling on “theatre kids”these musical theater buffs, who remain silent, have multiplied. The stars of the film themselves admitted in interviews that it was “tempting” to get carried away. “We understand whether you do it, or whether you don’t.”reacts Ariana Grande to NBC News (new window). “If you come the first time and you sing all the way, sing all the way through. But come back a second time and let us sing for you.”sourit Cynthia Erivo.

You've paid for your hard-earned ticket, you've come to see a musical, and you're into it. Sing!

Dwayne Johnson at the BBC

“If your neighbors are throwing popcorn or their phones or something else at you, maybe you need to stop… Just kidding!”continues Ariana Grande with a burst of laughter. The giant AMC Theaters, the largest operator in the United States with nearly 660 cinemas and 8,200 rooms, did not want to joke for long, going so far as to ban any excess during screenings. Wicked. “In AMC theaters, silence is golden. No talking. No texting. No singing. No moaning. No flirting. And absolutely no insults. Enjoy the magic of the movies”recalls a spot broadcast before each screening.

“AMC has a long-standing policy prohibiting disruptive behavior”insists to the Indianapolis Star (new window) a spokesperson for the channel who asks “It’s up to spectators not to disrupt the experience of those around them.” A poster along the same lines was notably relayed by Film Updates, a popular movie fan account on X. “Are you asking a troll not to sing? Good luck!”even responds to the official account of the animated film Trolls (new window) in which these little colorful and hairy creatures sing constantly. An opinion shared by superstar Dwayne Johnson. When he's not playing big guys in blockbusters, The Rock lends his voice to Maui, the demigod in the Disney animated film Vaiana.

“Sing! You've paid for your hard-earned ticket, you've come to see a musical and you're into it. Sing!” he told the BBC (new window) during the premiere of Vaiana 2 in which he also sings (new window). It's true that when Taylor Swift and Beyoncé concerts were shown in theaters last year, spectators were encouraged to take part in the spectacle on screen. But during a musical at the theater, listening is religious. Try singing as loud as the artists on Broadway to see…

The main French operators seem to agree on the principle that appreciating a work is above all listening to it and not participating. In its spectator charter (new window)UGC calls for “limit any form of light or noise pollution”. Pathé (new window)asks his audience to“adopt correct and respectful behavior towards others”. The same adjectives are used by CGR (new window).

A peacemaker called cine-karaoke

Singing in the middle of a session would therefore amount to non-compliance with these rules, which could lead to your eviction from the room. Universal has already announced that Americans will be entitled to special karaoke-style screenings of Wicked where resuming the hits at the top of your lungs will be a necessity. What if that was the solution? “Singing together at the cinema allows you to commune with others and create something with them, it becomes more alive than simply being in front of a screen. It's a shame to ask people to be silent. That's why “a concept like L’Écran Pop must exist, that’s our promise”underlines for TF1info Natacha Campana, founder of the first cine-karaoke in France where the words of cult films appear on the screen.

Nine towns in France have already succumbed to this strange event modeled on the sing-along imported from the United Kingdom. “We are breaking all the rules of cinema. If you want silence, definitely don’t come to L’Écran Pop”laughs Natacha Campana, praising the “let go” caused by “this moment of good humor”. “It's liberating to just sing. Doing it in a dark cinema allows you to dare more. We're in the middle of a crowd, you can't really hear us singing. It's like a big choir, there is no embarrassment“, she adds. And where there is embarrassment, there is no pleasure. Kristen Bell and her friends understand this well.

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Natacha Campana talks about a “contingency” when asked if, in the future, Wicked could join its catalog already composed of Oh mama, La La Land, Grease or even The Snow Queen . “It's not a musical that we know here even though it's already cult in England and the United States. We're going to see how the film is received in France. The previews at the Grand Rex in Paris were full with two large rooms. There are great songs. We can't be sure that it will be a big success here too and that it will in turn invade our territory.she tells us.

Response from December 4 with the arrival in French cinemas of this phenomenon which hit twice as hard at the American box office as Gladiator IIreleased the same day in the United States last Friday.

>> Wicked – December 4 at the cinema

>> Vaiana 2 – currently in the cinema