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‘Wicked’ Fans Can’t Stop Filming Scenes on Their Phones – a Form of Piracy That Hollywood Doesn’t Seem to Mind


A staggering amount of fan piracy is happening at "Wicked," the latest blockbuster that represents an interesting turn in moviegoing behavior.

Both men shared and interacted with social media content pirated from theaters over opening weekend –- many of which featured ecstatic crowds reacting to cameos from Channing Tatum, Wesley Snipes and Jennifer Garner. One marketing and PR guru who spoke with Variety said this is just the natural evolution of age-old promotional gimmicks, comparing it to filming a preview audience’s faces for an upcoming horror movie so their twisted expressions and screams can be spliced into TV ads. The official X account for theater chain Alamo Drafthouse responded to the post, saying “Or, don’t do that.” Others called the move “so illegal.” Screenwriter Nic Curcio commented that “Wicked” is “bringing so many good things into this world, my favorite being the mass public shaming of bad behavior at the movies, baby!”

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