Wicked brought phones to theatres. They're probably here to stay

Wicked reintroduced millions to the world of Oz last weekend — and has already made millions doing it. But aside from any magic it brought back into the world, audiences are noticing a trend.

"People just have thrown all etiquette right out the window," culture writer Amil Niazi told CBC News in an interview. "It just has gotten to a point where I think people feel like the theatre is their living room, and we have to correct that."

That's ranged from openly talking during the movie to loudly singing along with the music (the latter of which has sparked encouragement from star Cynthia Erivo). But the most egregious example, in Niazi's opinion, has cropped up in more screenings than just Wicked's: cellphone use. 

Since the movie's debut, photos and footage of its opening title card have gone viral on social media sites like X. Those images are captured by rabid fans — and, Niazi said, often influencers — at the expense of everyone else in the theatre.

And what's worse: Few of them seem to care.

"Chill lmao it's not that deep," "y'all r insufferable omg," and "I'll do what I want thanks" are some of the responses to criticisms of theatre phone use. It's a pervasive shift in public opinion that for some ruins the entire movie-going experience.

"People are excited to share their experiences, their thoughts, their reactions to the films," Niazi said. "Inside the theatre, we have to clamp down a little bit more on this behaviour, because often there's no one walking around to stop them, right?"

While phone use in movie theatres isn't necessarily new, the focus it's gotten from Wicked seems to have kicked it into overdrive — along with the potential legal implications of recording and sharing Hollywood movies.

But Robert Cousins, Cineplex senior vice-president of film, says the problem isn't a degradation of theatre etiquette at all.

Instead, it's "different types of behaviour that we've seen in other forms of entertainment are filtering their way into the experience."

That means young people, who largely missed the theatre-going experience for the better part of two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, are bringing in behaviour motivated by social media use. How they would — and have — behaved at Taylor Swift concerts, and even out on the street, he said, is making its way into the theatrical experience.

While smaller chains, like Alamo Drafthouse in the U.S., have taken a strong stance against the practice, that's not in the cards for Canada's largest theatre chain. Outside of a few ads meant to remind people not to disrupt other audience members, they plan on keeping out of the debate. 

"We're not here to kill joy," Cousins said, noting the company won't be reintroducing ushers nationwide to personally chastise people using their phones. While rules may vary by theatre, having workers scold guests during a movie would be too distracting.

And, he says, disruptive behaviour typically peaks during the opening weekend of most popular films, then tapers off, as there's some social cred in others knowing you were among the first to watch something.