This past weekend, movie lovers on social media were once again debating theater etiquette. Wicked is full of memorable scenes and unforgettable music numbers, including a triumphant final act rendition of "Defying Gravity" by star Cynthia Erivo.
Even if you haven't watched the musical, chances are you've seen footage of that online because it's somehow become the norm for people to take their phones out and either record full scenes or take photos of, in Wicked's case, the opening titles.
Variety has shared an interesting piece on the controversy, speaking to one anonymous studio executive who pointed the finger at...Deadpool & Wolverine?!
"Something has happened post-pandemic where movie theater behavior has really changed," the unnamed exec tells the trade. "They have a different relationship with the material, it’s all just content to them...Something really happened with [Deadpool & Wolverine]."
They're referring to the fact that filmmaker Shawn Levy and stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman all shared bootleg footage from fans of various scenes while promoting the Marvel Studios threequel online.
Rather than those X posts being hit by the usual copyright warnings, they were allowed to rack up countless views to spread awareness and excitement as you can see in the example below which, ultimately, did get taken down.
Reynolds' spokesperson didn't return requests for comment and Levy chose to say nothing. However, "A source familiar with Levy’s thinking said he never intentionally shared material shot in theaters and is strongly opposed to piracy."
Meanwhile, "Universal Pictures did not comment on the 'Wicked' piracy, but a source with knowledge of the company said internal teams are active in removing the illegal footage in most cases."
It sounds like studios aren't equipped to deal with platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok being flooded with bootleg clips. While they act fast to remove full leaks on torrent websites, for example, taking down countless individual posts requires a completely different approach they're simply not ready for.
This comes after Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson encouraged moviegoers to sing during Moana 2 screenings; those comments have been widely condemned by film lovers.
Shawn Levy directs Deadpool & Wolverine, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Matthew Macfadyen, Chris Evans, Dafne Keen, Channing Tatum, Jennifer Garner, and Wesley Snipes. Henry Cavill makes a cameo appearance.
The movie is written by Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy.
Kevin Feige, Reynolds, Levy and Lauren Shuler Donner produce with Louis D’Esposito, Wendy Jacobson, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, George Dewey, Simon Kinberg and Jonathon Komack Martin serving as executive producers.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now available on Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD, and Disney+.