Wicked Director Calls Out Movie Theaters to Screen the Film the 'Way It Was Intended’ (2024)

Jon M. Chu, director of one of the fall season’s most highly-anticipated movies, Wicked, took to X, formerly Twitter, to tell movie theaters to crank up the volume when screening the film. Chu posted on his account: “Tell your movie theater to turn it up to a 7…. I’ve gone to a couple screenings and they are more like a 6.4 :/ if you want it the way it was intended 7 is the way.”

Chu wasn’t the only person to talk about how theaters are screening the movie and how sometimes the film does not seem to be loud enough for audiences. Several Wicked fans took to Reddit to also complain about the sound quality in their theaters. “The sound in my theater was really bad,” commented one Reddit user. Another post said, “I could hardly hear the music. The vocal track was strong, but the music track sounded like the orchestra was playing in the next town over.”

Reddit Users Say IMAX is Better

Yet another Reddit user posted, “Same here in Minneapolis. I’m normally saying, ‘Why is it so loud?’ while at the theater. This was opposite. The volume was noticeably too low.” However, a few Reddit posts indicated Wicked sounded better in IMAX. One noted, “IMAX was absolutely perfect for me.” Another user said, “Yes! I just got out of my IMAX screening after seeing it on a Dolby-supported AMC screen, and the sound was great. It was definitely quieter when I saw it earlier this week, so I was glad to get to hear the music more fully. I believe IMAX screens are typically more strictly regulated by the company.”

Wicked is Doing Well Both Domestically and Globally at the Box Office

Wicked, which is Universal Studios’ adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical, debuted in theaters on Nov. 22 as the third biggest U.S. premiere of the year. The film, so far, has brought in $114 million domestically, per Deadline.Wicked, combined with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, which earned $55.5 million, brought with it the biggest pre-Thanksgiving numbers since The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in 2013.

The box office totals for Wicked outside the U.S. proved to be even more successful as it scored a total of $164.2 million, making the film the biggest worldwide debut for a movie based on a Broadway show. With those numbers, Wicked moved ahead of Les Miserables, which had a $103 million debut.

The Film Will Be Divided into Two Parts

Chu’s Wicked is the first of two films in the series, although “Part One” doesn’t appear in any of the film’s marketing materials. Wicked Part One does appear on the title card when audiences see the movie in theaters.

“I think we were pretty clear that there are two parts from the beginning,” said Chu in a previous interview. “I had a statement, did the whole thing, everyone reacted. I knew that there was going to be a certain reaction. But, I also knew that when you actually look and the nuts and bolts of it, it was very clear,” he said. “There was no question. Either it’s not Wicked and you’re stripping out all these songs or your changing the story so much that it’s not going to be the Wicked that you want. I knew we were making the right choice, so we went along with that and marketing - how they do it, I don’t know why they do it. But I understood what those choices were."

Wicked is now playing in movie theaters.

Source: X, Reddit

9

10

Wicked

PG

Adventure

Fantasy

Musical

The story of how a green-skinned woman framed by the Wizard of Oz becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. The first of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.

Director

Jon M. Chu

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Cast

Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd

Writers

Gregory Maguire , Winnie Holzman , Dana Fox , L. Frank Baum

Runtime

160 Minutes

Main Genre

Musical

Studio(s)

Marc Platt Productions

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

Character(s)

Elphaba Thropp , Glinda Upland , Madame Morrible , The Wizard , Fiyero Tigelaar , Boq , Nessarose Thropp , Pfannee , ShenShen , Miss Coddle , Doctor Dillamond (voice) , Avaric Tenmeadows , Gilligan , Professor Nikidik , Glinda's Father , Governor Frexspar Thropp , Melena Thropp , The Midwife