{"id":634108,"date":"2026-04-27T13:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/634108\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T13:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:09:10","slug":"michael-movie-prompts-annoying-cinema-trend-that-viewers-claim-is-ruining-the-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/634108\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael movie prompts \u2018annoying\u2019 cinema trend that viewers claim is \u2018ruining\u2019 the film"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 fFxaM\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 fFxaM\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 fFxaM\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p>Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n<p>Twinkle-toed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/michael-jackson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Jackson<\/a> fans are using screenings of the singer\u2019s new biopic to show off their dancing skills \u2013 and the results are dividing cinemagoers, with some saying \u201cdon\u2019t stop \u2018til you get enough\u201d and others urging them to \u201cbeat it\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>Despite <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/reviews\/michael-jackson-movie-review-biopic-b2962339.html\">a mauling from critics<\/a>, Michael is proving to be a box office hit, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/news\/michael-box-office-opening-weekend-b2964954.html\">setting a new record for music biopics <\/a>in its opening weekend. <\/p>\n<p>Many of these showings are turning into dance parties, with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/music\/features\/michael-jackson-movie-2026-biopic-allegations-fans-b2964846.html\">fans performing Jackson\u2019s routines<\/a> at the same time as lead star Jaafar Jackson, the singer\u2019s very own nephew, in front of the screen.<\/p>\n<p>This has prompted widespread debate, with the majority of viewers accusing the \u201cannoying\u201d moonwalking individuals of ruining their filmgoing experience. They\u2019ve accused the people of having \u201cmain character syndrome\u201d, complaining that they have paid to watch a film, not attend a concert.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-09-51-00.png\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Michael Jackson\u2019s nephew Jaafar plays singer in hit biopic\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Michael Jackson\u2019s nephew Jaafar plays singer in hit biopic (Universal Pictures)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a difference between enjoying the moment and disrupting everyone else\u2019s experience,\u201d one viewer wrote on social media. \u201cNot everyone paid to watch a live performance.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Another told the excitable fans to \u201csave the moonwalk for outside\u201d, with many linking it to a rise in poor audience etiquette in which people use their phones and talk loudly while watching the film. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the reason I\u2019m avoiding screenings right now,\u201d one person stated on X\/Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>Many said they would ask for refunds if they were in attendance when a similar thing happened.<\/p>\n<p>However, some have praised the electric, convivial atmosphere caused by the dancing fans who \u201ctook over\u201d the cinema, comparing it to repertory screenings of 1975 cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople were dancing at the front of the screen like it was a live concert. This wasn\u2019t a movie\u2026 this was a full-blown MJ revival,\u201d one viewer said, with another calling it \u201cone of the best moviegoing experiences I&#8217;ve had in my life\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-09-51-13.png\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"'Michael' screenings are becoming dance parties \u2013\u00a0much to the annoyance of cinemagoers\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>&#8216;Michael&#8217; screenings are becoming dance parties \u2013\u00a0much to the annoyance of cinemagoers (Universal Pictures)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe audience was fully locked in from start to finish (dancing\/fully enjoying themselves). It was magical,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p> A similar debate raged last year <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/news\/minecraft-movie-uk-cinema-warning-chaos-tiktok-b2729205.html\">following the release of The Minecraft Movie<\/a>. One moment in the film saw Jack Black and Jason Momoa\u2019s characters confronted in a boxing ring by a cuboid Minecraft chicken, who is ridden around the ring by another character. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cChicken jockey!\u201d exclaims Black\u2019s character, a reference to the video game that seems to be sending audiences wild.<\/p>\n<p>Footage captured across social media showed food and popcorn being thrown across the audience when this moment occurred, along with loud shouting, swearing and people jumping out of their seats. Young people could be seen laughing with their phones out as they captured the disorder, which became a popular TikTok trend.<\/p>\n<p>Special screenings encouraging the raucous behaviour were ultimately organised in order to lure people away from screenings filled with people who wanted to watch the film in peace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,63,447,134],"class_list":{"0":"post-634108","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-celebrities","11":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}