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John M. Chu, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Kristin Chenoweth, and Marc E. Platt at a cast and filmmakers screening of Wicked on October 28, 2024. | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Pictures There’s a code of conduct for the multiplex experience, deliberately broadcast right before a movie: When the lights start to dim, we turn off our phones and end any side discussions. However, if dispatches of Wicked screenings around the country are any indication, this code isn’t being followed.  In the few days since the highly anticipated musical movie Wicked arrived in theaters, it’s been difficult to scroll through social media without seeing photos — if not entire scenes — of the film taken from patrons’ phones. In-theater recordings of Wicked’s signature number “Defying Gravity” are all over TikTok. One X user went viral for asking fans to post photos they had snapped during the movie. This immediately ignited a conversation among film critics and cinephiles about a lack of theater etiquette in the general public. But is it totally their fault?  It’s safe to say that the film marketing tactics of the past few years have taught people how to show up to movies — ready to whip out their phones. That’s not to mention the advent of streaming, plus the years spent mostly inside during the pandemic, that have certainly played a role in a lack of movie-going etiquette.  In the wake of Barbenheimer, movies aren’t just meant to be shared with a room full of people but with others on social media. The endless merch and product tie-ins that come with IP films, as well as more organic efforts to dress up for screenings, have made the extremely mundane experience of sitting in a dark room for a couple of hours “content.” But what happens to moviegoing when it becomes all about sharing?  Moviegoing for the ’gram In an effort to recoup losses from the pandemic, there have been more and more incentives for people to get off their couches and back into movie theaters. These innovations certainly enhanced the moviegoing experience beyond snacking on popcorn, ultimately making it a lot more shareable and post-worthy online.  Since 2019, when AMC offered specially designed R2-D2 popcorn buckets to coincide with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, novelty items have made a huge comeback. Now, they’re an expected bonus when buying tickets for the year’s biggest releases. Over the past few years, AMC has sold uniquely designed buckets and cups for buzzy movies like The Mario Bros. Movie, Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, and Dune: Part Two. The last film’s elaborately designed bucket — with an opening resembling the mouth of a sandworm — was so attention-grabbing that it got its own parody song on an episode of Saturday Night Live.  The popcorn bucket for ‘DUNE 2’.(via: @3CFilmss) pic.twitter.com/FzNZjGJiTC— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 26, 2024 The 4Dx experience is another in-theater development that patrons can’t stop posting about. The immersive format, involving motion seats and practical effects, gained a lot of word-of-mouth popularity this year for movies like Madame Web, Twisters, and Deadpool and Wolverine. Much of this word-of-mouth, though, has occurred online, particularly on TikTok where influencers and regular customers film themselves being thrust around and sprayed with water while the movie’s playing.  Outside of theaters, studios are investing more and more money into elaborate marketing campaigns for their buzziest movies, the most notable cases being the 2023 hit Barbie and this year’s Wicked. This advertising has largely manifested in endless brand collaborations, from luxury cars to Crocs, all designed to be collected and shared on social media with the movie’s hashtag. The ubiquity of the marketing suggests that if you aren’t seeing these movies in theaters, you’re missing out on a huge monocultural moment.  Studios have also turned to influencers to provide early reactions to movies. Sometimes, these popular X and TikTok users are invited to advance screenings alongside journalists. In more and more cases — like with Gladiator II and Wicked — they’re given earlier access to these movies than some critics. Amid all of these orchestrated marketing movies, it seems as though customers are finding unique ways to enhance the moviegoing experience for themselves. For example, the trend of “themed dressing” feels like an earnest expression of movie fan culture with organic roots. In the past, this trend has been reserved for movies associated with “nerd culture,” like Star Wars and Harry Potter. But “Barbenheimer” made this activity more of an instinctual habit for the average moviegoer. Without the instruction of a studio, everyone got the memo to wear pink to their screenings of Barbie and, on a lesser scale, black to see Oppenheimer. Since then, marketers have clearly taken notice. This seemed evident in a promotional video Blake Lively filmed earlier this year for the domestic abuse movie It Ends With Us, where she urged ticket-buyers to “wear their florals” in theme with the movie’s florist protagonist. The same phenomenon is occurring at Wicked showings, where fans are arriving in pink or green clothes, and even full-on green face paint to imitate the main character Elphaba. If fans weren’t planning on dressing up themselves, the pink-and-green marketing certainly implied that it was a crucial part of the theater experience. What happens to a communal space when it’s all about content?  Since Wicked’s premiere, moviegoers have been posting their reactions to the film — along with their themed outfits —  on TikTok and X, often directly from the theater. One trend that’s proved popular is a format where a user posts themselves before the movie starts with a hard cut to their emotional reaction during the credits or outside of the theater. In other cases, people have filmed themselves or the person next to them reacting to the movie while they’re watching it.  Many of these emotional responses are genuine. But the urge to self-broadcast in the middle of a film speaks to a misunderstanding or, in some cases, complete disregard for the sanctity of movie theaters. In its worst interpretation, it shows a lack of respect for other people’s in-theater experiences.  @imogenhorton When I tell you my whole seat was shaking I was sobbing THAT much ???????? (I did already pre warn the couple sitting next to me at the beginning that I would cry A LOT) ??? genuinely the best thing I’ve ever watched in my life, I don’t even know where to begin. From the cast, the vocals, the choreography, the cinematography, the connections on screen, every single member of the ensemble and chorus, the effects, the acting, the nuances, the EVERYTHING. I am blown away, I can’t stop crying just thinking about it and I’m not even ashamed to say that. Elphaba is such an incredible character than I think so many of us could actually benefit from just absorbing even an inch of her strength, her moral compass, her kindness and the fact she doesn’t care about fitting in, she does what she thinks is RIGHT. I’m an emotional deep person and I don’t care if anyone else doesn’t like it, I LOVE IT ??❤️#fyp #wicked ♬ original sound – Imogen Horton This phenomenon has become a problem outside of the theater, too. In the case of Wicked, many users have posted photos of the film, including spoilers or pivotal scenes.  Undoubtedly, studios’ recent embrace of influencers as marketers has something to do with this. In an article for the Hollywood Reporter, writer Pamela McClintock said that, as “advertising on TV is more complicated and expensive,” studios have had to explore different promotional routes including “TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube and other platforms.” Likewise, influencers are now appearing at press junkets, activations, and other events, implying that moviegoing is also about engagement.   Entertainment reporter Raven Brunner says that screenings have contributed to the movie-posting problem, given that influencers and even critics are encouraged to take photos and post them. “When you go to an early screening, they have that customized banner before the movie starts that you’re supposed to take photos of,” she says.  It’s hard not to draw a line from the posts that circulate after an advanced screening — whether it’s from a film account or a celebrity — to the average moviegoer snapping photos during Wicked. Comedian and writer Josh Gondelman thinks this problem exposes a tendency for moviegoers to view themselves as “creators” first. As a result, they end up prioritizing what they share with others over their own personal consumption.  “There are so many ways to be like, ‘hey, check me out. I’m a person in the world engaging with culture,’ which I think is pleasant,” he says. “But you can do it without making everyone else’s experience in the theater secondary to your followers’ later.” Still, he doesn’t think all movie-posting comes from a shallow, attention-seeking place.  “I always try to be understanding and appreciative of people who want to do, like, a long vlog response to something and just want to share their thoughts on art,” he says.  Still, there are basic rules of behaving in public that people, particularly in a younger, more online generation, are struggling with. The past few years since the pandemic spent largely inside watching movies on streamers presumably haven’t helped.  At a bare minimum, these inescapable spoilers and leaked scenes show an enthusiasm around movies (or at least certain titles). Maybe there’s hope that, in a world where young people have been influenced to see movies again, they can also be influenced into turning off their phones. 

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A customer visits the store during early morning Black Friday sales in 2023 at Macy’s Herald Square in New York. | Kena Betancur/Getty Images Since the 1980s, Black Friday has signified the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Stores offered almost-impossible “doorbuster” deals on TVs and hand blenders, shoppers rose before dawn to wait in line to get them, violence ensued, and the tinsel-covered period when retailers finally operated “in the black” began in earnest. It’s probably for the best, then, that Black Friday is not what it was even 20 years ago. A movement to recognize its toll on retail workers eventually convinced several stores to close on Thanksgiving so workers could be with their families, instead of stocking for the busy day ahead. Holiday shopping has continued to move online. And the thrill of a deep, one-day discount has morphed into a numbing, month-long thrum of flash sales, Cyber Monday specials, and member appreciation events.   Future Perfect deputy editor Izzie Ramirez has reported extensively on the state of American consumerism, from our habit of buying, using, and throwing away literal tons of stuff each year, to how the quality of the things we’re purchasing — from appliances to undergarments — is progressively getting worse.  I caught up with her to talk about why Americans’ shopping habits have transformed, what the threat of high tariffs might mean for big-ticket goods, and how sales bonanzas like Black Friday are part of a larger effort by retailers to keep us shopping, to our own detriment, and the planet’s. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Lavanya Ramanathan: So, the quality of our stuff is worse now. Tell me a bit about that, as we stare down a period when Americans will be buying a ton. Izzie Ramirez: I would like to preface this by saying everyone thinks that I’m anti-shopping, and it’s not that I’m anti-shopping; I actually love shopping. Materials are fun, materialism is fun, except for when it’s not.  I started writing about it  because I came across a problem, and the problem was that my brand-new bra absolutely sucked. Shouldn’t new things be better? Isn’t this, like, the whole promise of capitalism, in a way?  I really wanted to get a mass-production understanding of what’s going on, and talk a little bit about the decline of repairability, and what we can do about it. Because I do think that people want to buy things that make them happy, that last and fit into their lives. And it sucks when you invest your money and you don’t get your money’s investment. It’s less that companies want to be making worse-quality goods. In the case of my bra, it’s more that for the cost of producing something like my bra, you can’t do the same thing for the same amount of money. Something has to give, and it’s going to either be labor or the quality of the material, and it’s usually a little bit of both.  Knowing all of that, what is a good way to approach something like Black Friday? There are all sorts of deals, like TVs for $50. With some of these, is it just throwing good money after bad? Is there actually a way for the consumer to be a winner? I’m going to be a hypocrite with this. I usually think Black Friday is bad, but if Trump does enact tariffs, then maybe Black Friday might be good for larger purchases, such as washing machines, dishwashers, and other major appliances, because tariffs would create conditions for those globalized objects, where you need parts from a billion different places, to become way, way, way more expensive. And if they don’t become more expensive, those are going to be the very objects that become way worse, very, very rapidly.  That’s bad advice for most circumstances. There is a lot of science and psychology behind buying things. On Black Friday, you feel like you don’t have time. It is entirely a lie, because they run the same sales regularly. If you know anything about Black Friday, they do the same sales every year. It’s not like that sale is never going to happen again. Or the Sephora sale. It really grinds my gears when I see people posting Sephora hauls, like they’re never gonna do the members sale again. They do, two or three times a year. It’s the scarcity mindset.  You have also written about hauls. We are shopping differently now. We shop online. It’s become that much easier to get things from all over the world. If I had to guess, I’d say there are a lot more brands, too — direct-to-consumer sellers of things like jewelry. What is happening to shopping itself? Hauls are when people buy 10 or 15 or 20 different items in one go, and usually parade them around on social media. They’re buying things from places like Amazon, Temu, Shein, Abercrombie & Fitch. The thing about haul culture is that it also creates that mindset around scarcity, like, “Oh, you need this.” It normalizes mass consumption, and buying a lot all at once and regularly, and that it is a regular practice to spend that much money.  And if you’re not spending that much money, then you’re going to be spending at places like Shein that have $1 T-shirts, and that normalizes a dangerously low price for workers and the planet. A lot of the things that you’re describing feel like new behaviors. There’s also a thing happening in our shopping ecosystem, and in our consumer culture, around demand for the new — for newness at all times. Yeah, and I think so much of that is driven by that normalization of excitement around buying — dopamine shopping, wanting to feel something. So much of it is social media, and so much of it is the scale of globalization and all of these new players that are in the market. It’s just a whole other level of consumer deception, too — this false sense of urgency from companies. Yes, there is the demand, but it is also companies knowing that they could take advantage of us like this. It’s like ouroboros, the snake that’s eating itself. It’s never going to end if we don’t make a conscious choice of saying no.  

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