‘Wicked’ Movie Volume Should Be Increased in Theaters, Says Jon M. Chu

Wicked movie director Jon M. Chu is encouraging audience members to make an unusual request when 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 increase the volume 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 theater to turn it up to a 7…. I’ve gone to a couple screenings and they are more like a 6.4,” Chu wrote. “If you want it the way it was intended 7 is the way.”

Among 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 volume level of a film screening. Others noted that they attended Wicked screenings where the sound could 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.

“A lot of it did itself, just due to the nature of the way the tracks were recorded,” Marquis said. “You know, you get Cynthia and Ari, and it’s track after track, take after take, of amazing vocal performances that they do live, and so the challenge with the musical, obviously, is just trying 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 big opening weekend, as it eyes a domestic debut of $117 million. Gladiator II, which likewise opened this weekend, is also off to a strong start in second place.