You loved almost everything about "Wicked" the movie: the soaring musical numbers, the eye-popping special effects, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
But there was one thing missing: you.
You sat politely in the darkness, sipping your soda and nibbling your popcorn, when what you really want to do was belt out the tunes you know by heart. And soon you can.
Universal Pictures this week announced that approximately 1,000 theaters across the United States — including several in the Chicago area — will offer "sing-along" screenings of "Wicked" on Christmas Day. The show opened in theaters Nov. 22.
Jim Orr, president of domestic theatrical distribution for Universal Pictures, said in a statement that the screenings will "offer fans a unique opportunity to become part of the story they’ve embraced so enthusiastically. There’s something extraordinarily special about experiencing this beloved musical together as a community, and we’re thrilled to create that opportunity this holiday season.”
And if you only know, say, the chorus to "Popular," the screenings will also feature subtitles.
Until this week's announcement, AMC Theatres had made it clear, with a movie-specific pre-show announcement, that it didn't want patrons singing along during "Wicked."
"At AMC Theatres, silence is golden. No talking, no texting, no singing, no wailing, no flirting and absolutely no name-calling," says an announcer over snippets of the movie.
For more information about specific theaters offering sing-along showings, go to wickedmovie.com
There was no singing — or any other visible forbidden behavior such as painted faces — at an afternoon showing the Chicago Sun-Times took in a couple of weeks ago.
"I did appreciate that there was no singing. When you go to the movies, you should be there to watch. ... If people want to paint their faces green, why not?" said movie-goer Jane Hyland, 22, visiting from Boston.
According to some movie-goers on social media, there have been problems with folks applying green face paint to try to look like the character Elphaba, played by Erivo.
One TikTok video features a young woman painting her face green before heading out to an AMC theater, where she says she was told to remove her makeup.
"This the dumbest rule I've ever heard," the woman says on the video.
But go to AMC's website and that rule is spelled out: "We love it when our guests dress up for the occasion, however, no weapons, even 'prop' weapons, can be brought in. Also, face paint, helmets, masks (except for standard face masks used explicitly for health and safety reasons), or anything that covers the face are prohibited."
Movie theaters across the United States banned face paint, masks and prop weapons following a 2012 screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado, in which James Holmes — dressed head to toe in body armor — killed 12 people and wounded dozens of others. Holmes went on trial and was later convicted on all charges. He is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Plenty of folks also have been pulling out cell phones and posting videos of parts of "Wicked" online.
"We have no problem with singing, but cell phone videos would be an issue for copyright reasons," said Chris Johnson, CEO of Classic Cinemas, a small theater chain headquartered in Downers Grove.
