During the triumphant finale of EvilCynthia Erivo’s green witch Elphaba prepares to defy gravity in the skies above Oz – but it seems the magic of the moment is inadvertently captivating the audience.

To the fury of traditionalists, fans swept up in the emotion of the musical spontaneously sing along, film the screen with their cell phones and even take selfies of their crying faces.

The widespread loss of composure has sparked a debate over cinema etiquette: experts fear it is part of a wider move away from sitting still and enjoying the spectacle.

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Social media has been flooded with clips, some showing extended portions of it Evilincluding the ending – recorded by fans. Cinema chains have warned moviegoers not to screen their favorite hits alongside Erivo and her co-star Ariana Grande.

“I worry that this has to do with the decline in the sanctity of the moviegoing experience,” said Michael Niederman, professor emeritus of cinema and television arts at Columbia College Chicago.

Evil is a variant of the classic Wizard of Oz Story told from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. The adaptation of the blockbuster Broadway musical of the same name is off to a roaring start at the box office – but popularity seems to be a double-edged sword.

As movie attendance declines in the age of streaming, younger viewers make up a large portion Evil According to Niederman, the fan base may not have been taught how to behave in the cinema.

“It’s a problem of a generation that hasn’t learned proper etiquette when filming,” he said. “They don’t understand that when you walk in that door, it’s supposed to be about what’s around you: the screen, the sound, the experience. And they just don’t think about it that way.”

The debate is not new. Purists who view the cinema as a sacred venue have long complained that others whisper at key moments or break the silence by loudly chewing popcorn. However, most seem to agree that social media and ubiquitous smartphones are making the problem worse.

Last year, during the Barbenheimer phenomenon, there were frequent complaints about a lack of etiquette at screenings of Barbie And Oppenheimer. Reports of fights and even public nudity emerged, leading to the conclusion that many had forgotten or never learned how to behave in the cinema.

EvilThe fan base also seems to have encouraged an increase in misconduct.

• Singing along in the cinema has long been frowned upon – until now

An Ariana Grande fan account on X shared an image of the opening scene of Evil alongside a message urging followers to do the same. The post was shared thousands of times. Videos of a surprise appearance in the film, undoubtedly a spoiler, went viral within days Evil release.

“They have a different relationship with the material – it’s all about satisfaction for them,” one industry executive lamented to Variety.

Niederman said social media has distorted the “relationship between the viewer and the spectacle,” noting that many younger people feel the need to share memorable moments with their friends online. “If you ask them why they did it, they would probably say, ‘I wanted to share it – it meant something to me.’ They are unaware of the damage this behavior causes to the experiences of those around them.”

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Some executives point to another trend over the summer that may have been a turning point in the big-screen debate.

After the superhero film’s release in July Deadpool and Wolverinea $1.3 billion month that helped sustain the 2024 box office, fans shared videos from theaters on social media.

Ryan Reynolds, the film’s star, and Shawn Levy, the director, both interacted with such posts, some of which spawned surprise cameos in the film. It suggested a tolerance for what amounts to piracy.

To executives, such behavior may seem more like a much-needed marketing boost. Movie attendance remains at pre-pandemic levels, and thousands of theaters have closed across America over the past five years.

Universal, the studio that made it Evilhas scheduled sing-along screenings for next month, and Niederman suggested that theater chains might be open to trying new tactics to attract fans. “There is desperation in this part of the business,” he said. “And I think they’ll be willing to do anything that encourages people to go to the movies.”