‘Bad’ videos and photo leaks go viral as fans use phones in theaters

The final scene of ‘Wicked’ is a cinematic triumph. A defiant Cynthia Erivo soars through the air, circling above Oz and shouting “Defying Gravity” as her enemies watch in awe. It evokes tears and applause, even making the audience jump from their theater seats as Erivo hits the high notes.

But now you don’t have to buy a ticket to witness it. The entire four-minute conclusion to the first part of Universal’s smash hit is currently available for free on social platforms like X and TikTok.

That’s because fans can’t stop snapping photos and recording full minute-long clips of Erivo and her co-star Ariana Grande going toe-to-toe in the Emerald City. Part of this piracy (and make no mistake, it is) serves to document the feverish embrace of all that is “bad.” Others are intended to convey other forms of worship.

There’s grainy footage of a moviegoer trying to play the same notes as Erivo during her big number. There are hundreds of posts about Grande’s performance of “Popular,” another hit from the original musical, with fans praising the pop queen’s comedic chops and dancing skills — many of which are tagged with the banner “Spoiler!” There are also numerous videos of a surprise cameo made by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Glinda and Elphaba in the original Broadway production of “Wicked.” These videos and photos have been live and have been viewed millions of times, and the film has only been in theaters five full days.

‘Wicked’ is hardly an exception. Supercuts of all the sex scenes between Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey in A24’s “Queer” have been showing on X since early September. Shirtless, bloodied Paul Mescal rowing an old ship in “Gladiator II” is thirstily posted to TikTok, a film that declares the film is “for the girls.”

How does this get past studios, which are equipped with huge anti-piracy teams and armies of lawyers? By the way, how does this get past the community guidelines on the social media platforms where copyrighted material is posted?

“Something happened after the pandemic that really changed cinema behavior,” said a top film executive, speaking on condition of anonymity. The executive is referring to the younger audience who have become more emboldened to share this long material from the sanctity of the cineplex, where phones should be banned.

“They have a different relationship with the material, it’s just satisfying for all of them,” sighed the director, who (along with two other industry sources) pointed to a turning point for this kind of behavior. It was the July release of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Marvel’s superhero mashup that helped save the 2024 box office and maintain the A-list around Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

“Something Real happened with that movie,” the source said, specifically referring to Reynolds and “Deadpool & Wolverine” director Shawn Levy. Both men shared and interacted with social media content pirated from theaters during opening weekend — many of which featured ecstatic crowds reacting to cameos from Channing Tatum, Wesley Snipes and Jennifer Garner.

A spokesperson for Reynolds did not return requests for comment, and Levy had no comment. A source familiar with Levy’s thinking said he has never intentionally shared material shot in theaters and that he strongly opposes piracy. Universal Pictures did not comment on the “bad” piracy, but a source with knowledge of the company said that in most cases internal teams are active in removing the pirated footage. This conundrum is even more interesting considering that “Wicked” is a musical, and you could argue that its real value lies in show-stopping numbers like “Defying Gravity.” Think back to 2006’s “Dreamgirls,” where filmmakers banned eventual Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson from performing the torch song “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” about the Academy Awards. The argument? Buy a ticket if you want your world to be turned upside down by her singing.