Wicked movie director Jon M. Chu is encouraging audience members to make an unusual request once they see the film in theaters.
Chu, who helmed Universal Pictures‘ feature adaptation of the smash Broadway musical, took to X (formerly Twitter) on the project’s opening evening to post that viewers should ask their theater to extend the quantity for the musical’s sound. Wicked tells the story of The Wizard of Oz’s characters before Dorothy’s arrival, with Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.
“Tell your movie show to show it as much as a 7…. I’ve gone to a few screenings they usually are more like a 6.4,” Chu wrote. “For those who want it the best way it was intended 7 is the best way.”
Amongst those responding to the post was the film’s co-writer Dana Fox, who replied, “We turned it up a clock tick at our screening and it was perfect!!”
Audiovisual company Dolby, known for premium cinema screenings, responded, “We’ve got you covered,” adding a salute emoji.
Some users appeared puzzled by Chu’s post and expressed that they unaware that theatergoers could request a change in the quantity level of a movie screening. Others noted that they attended Wicked screenings where the sound might have been louder.
During a conversation with The Ankler that published earlier this month, Wicked movie sound designer John Marquis was asked about his process in working on the film.
“Numerous it did itself, just because of the character of the best way the tracks were recorded,” Marquis said. “You realize, you get Cynthia and Ari, and it’s track after track, take after take, of fantastic vocal performances that they do live, and so the challenge with the musical, obviously, is just attempting to … keep it grounded, not have it pop on and off, and like, ‘Now we’re going into the musical number.’”
The Wicked movie is having a giant opening weekend, because it eyes a domestic debut of $117 million. Gladiator II, which likewise opened this weekend, can be off to a robust start in second place.
