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Ariana Grande weighed in on the discussion surrounding movie theater etiquette that sparked after the November 22 premiere of her latest project, Wicked.
The 31-year-old star of the film revealed her stance on the controversial debate –– about whether or not movie-goers should sing during the film at theaters –– in an interview with BBC News at the November 18 premiere in London.
"As long as the people around you aren't becoming upset and causing a discourse," she told the outlet before she added, "Live your life."
The very next day, in an interview with NBC News, Grande admitted that she and co-star Cynthia Erivo both sympathize with their fan's temptation to sing along to the movie..
"We understand it, if you do and if you don't," she told the outlet and later added, "We respect the feelings." The "Thank U Next" singer also cautioned fans who are determined to sing and said, "If someone throws popcorn at you or their phone or something, maybe stop," and concluded her and her co-star's thoughts on the matter by saying, "We support whatever makes them happy."
Regardless of what Grande said about the argument, some fans have taken to X (formerly known as Twitter) to weigh in on the heated debate.
One user wrote, "This 'Wicked' singing s**t is ridiculous. Yall wouldn't go to a performance & sing, so why go to a theater full of other ppl who paid to hear the actors/performers on screen & not your karaoke... if you wanna sing wait for the sing- along edition instead of ruining it for others."
A second disagreed and wrote, "if you see me at Wicked singing my heart out mind your god d**n business or better yet, sing along as well." A third admitted that they "Went to go see Wicked last night and my gf would not let me sing along So i had to play the songs in the car ride home."
Grande is not the only star to talk about the discourse taking place on the internet as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson recently declared his support for the fans in the audience that want to sing out loud.
"Sing! You've paid your hard earned money for a ticket, and you've gone into a musical, and you're into it. Sing," Johnson similarly told BBC in an interview published on November 24, before adding, "Especially if you love music, that's the fun part."
According to an article published by the Indianapolis Star on November 19, a spokesperson from AMC made a statement regarding the sing-alongs at the Wicked screenings and said that the movie theater chain "has a long-standing policy that prohibits disruptive behavior."
Singing along to Grande and Erivo's renditions of the musical's classic tunes during the screenings may currently be a faux pas, but that wont be the case for long. A version of the movie which actually encourages fans to use their voices and sing along is set to debut in theaters on Christmas Day, according to a report by Variety.
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