Evil Viewers have sparked debate by taking photos during screenings, leading some film fans to feel such actions violate decency.

Over time Evil’During its record-breaking opening weekend at the box office, followers of the Broadway musical adaptation shared images of the big screen on social media, spurred in part by a viral X (formerly Twitter) post from an Ariana Grande fan account that read: “Show your photos of “Wicked Part 1”. Although the post led to many users sharing their own images of the action, there were many responses along the lines of “throw these people out of the theater.”

“Of course, in a darkened theater, any cell phone is distracting — even people who are trying to hide it,” says Jason E. Squire, professor emeritus at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and host of the podcast The film businesstold The Hollywood Reporter. “It is simply intolerable behavior and should not be allowed in cinemas where films are shown.”

Premium theater chain Alamo Drafthouse, known for encouraging patrons to report disruptive behavior or phone use to staff, responded to the viral photo post by saying, “Or don’t.” The chain values ​​this THR that they will work with influencers to raise awareness of screenings, but that all opportunities to share images from the cinema experience will be offered before the film begins.

“We are absolutely convinced that after the film begins, phones are no longer allowed to be used,” said Chaya Rosenthal, marketing director at Alamo Drafthouse. “There are many influencers who want to express themselves and share their experiences with their social community. We welcome that, but we do it in a very different way: We want people to specifically take those photos before the movie starts and enjoy that experience in our lobbies.”

Starring Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the story of The Wizard of Oz’s characters before Dorothy’s arrival, the Evil The film had a magical start at the box office and made history with the best opening weekend for a Broadway musical adaptation. Previously, box office returns for the summer of 2024 were down 10 percent compared to the previous year, suggesting that the impact of recent Hollywood strikes was not as devastating as it could have been. Nevertheless, the industry can clearly benefit from the support of young and social media-savvy viewers.

Some exhibitors have chosen not to rely on short-lived social media trends. The Art Theater, a single-screen venue in Long Beach, Calif., has moved post-pandemic to playing second-run titles about six months after the Oscars, although the theater continues to release new titles throughout the rest of the year will show. What’s notable is that the venue isn’t planning any shows Evil or Gladiator IIbut instead chooses to play conclave, Mary And Strange in the coming weeks.

“For every single film, a manager does an old tour from front to back just to prevent this behavior from ever happening,” says Kerstin Kansteiner, the nonprofit theater’s board chair. “We’ve seen it a few times, but it’s pretty rare.”

Universal did not respond to requests for comment on the matter, but Rosenthal says studios have generally supported Alamo’s policy of strictly discouraging phone use. Granted, studios are now using platforms like TikTok to get the word out about a film, but companies want every video to be shot in the lobby before a screening or afterward.

Even the concept of singing along to a stage musical has proven polarizing. Before Evil’Following the film’s release, AMC Theaters issued a statement urging theatergoers not only to refrain from phone use but also to refrain from singing along to a screening, and some chains, including Alamo Drafthouse, have organized separate sing-along events to avid audience members to accommodate.

John Bucher—executive director of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, who has served as a story consultant on projects from Paramount, HBO, and A24—notes that because of the… our society has gradually moved toward emphasizing the needs of the individual over those of the group satisfy the emergence of technologies such as the smartphone.

“Rudeness and politeness have been slowly moving to the bottom of our list of values ​​for a long time,” says Bucher. “Encouraging people to take pictures of the screen during a film says something to those around us. It says that the invisible community that is not here with me is more important than the community that is here with me.”