The Rock Believes People Should Be Allowed To Sing Aloud In Movie Theaters
This is one of those quotes that I had to double-check to make sure was real. I think we're losing The Rock or something.
While promoting Moana 2 (which I WILL be seeing, don't get me wrong - the first one rocked) The Rock said that if you're a music lover, singing aloud in the theater is "the fun part" of seeing a musical, and added, “You’ve paid your hard earned money for a ticket, and you've gone into a musical, and you’re into it? Sing!" I'll be honest - I couldn't disagree more, Rock!
I'm not a huge musical guy myself, but I can get into them every now and then. I'll definitely be seeing Wicked as well! If I go into the theater to see it and have to deal with somebody singing along like they're at a karaoke night, though, I'd be fucking livid. Yes, they paid for their ticket just like the rest of us - but we all paid to hear the actors on screen singing. Honestly if I heard someone belting out 'Defying Gravity' behind me I'd go full Karen and demand the high school concession workers dragged them out and bring them straight to a mental asylum. If they didn't, I'd want big compensation like free tickets to another showing or something. That's not to say there shouldn't be specifically designed karaoke/musical singalong screenings, either! In fact, I'd argue the singalong screenings only exist because singing along in a regular screening is INSANE behavior!
That being said, The Rock was likely just talking about really little kids singing along to Moana while trying to keep it light on the red carpet, and it's not that serious. I don't mean to take it out on The Rock. I just get riled up talking about theater etiquette because it feels like it's at an all time low right now.
Take the new phenomenon of snapping pictures of the screen mid-movie, for example!
What is that shit?! Are we a few years away from theaters looking like concerts during big moments??
I don't mind cheering, clapping, laughing - all the usual reactions. Few things piss me off more than seeing someone's camera flash go off during the title card of a new movie, though, knowing they're just trying to get some cute Instagram story off. It disgusts me. ESPECIALLY on opening night. Take a picture of the poster outside the theater! Take a picture of your ticket and popcorn! You don't need to take a picture of the screen (distracting EVERYONE in the showing) to prove you're at the movies! Maybe the box office has been struggling the past few years because with the rise of streaming, people would rather wait a few weeks for a guaranteed quiet screening at home rather than risk a hooligan filled theater on a Friday night!
I'm sorry, I get fired up just talking about this shit. I'm guess I'm still not over the rowdy teens I dealt with at 'Across the Spider-Verse' last year….