Major cinema imposes new rule on Wicked fans and people are very confused

A major cinema chain has issued a rule for fans planning on watching the new Wicked film.

The movie adaptation, which stars Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good Witch and Cynthia Erivo as outcast Elphaba, was released on Friday (22 November) and so far, fans have been flocking to cinemas to watch the film.

The movie is directed by Jon M. Chu, and looks at the origin story of the powerful witches who end up forging an unlikely friendship.

It's been a huge hit so far, grossing $164 million in ticket sales and breaking the record for the biggest opening weekend of a Broadway adaptation.

Naturally, major Wicked fans have been going all out, with many dressing up to watch the film in cinemas.

But some people have actually been stopped on their way in, after one major cinema chain reportedly applied a rule to those wearing green face paint.

According to TMZ, fans going to watch the movie at an AMC cinema have had to remove any green face paint by washing it off in the toilets.

One person wrote: "PSA: Do not show up to an AMC wearing face paint they will not let you in."

The movie arrived in cinemas on 22 November (Universal)

In a clip on TikTok, the user was wearing a black outfit with her skin painted green.

She could be seen in the toilets scrubbing her face to try and remove the paint before the film started.

Meanwhile another TikToker - who didn't confirm which cinema chain she had visited - shared a video echoing a similar experience.

"Wasn’t going to post this at first bc I did get quite emotional, but I think it’s important for accountability reasons, bc it wasn’t fair for me to be made to feel this way at a movie premiere, especially one I’d been looking forward to for months," they wrote.

Another fan explained they had painted their entire body green - including their face - but didn't get kicked out of the cinema they visited.

"Like let the theatre girlies live out their Elphaba dreams," they wrote.

AMC do not allow face paint in their theatres (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Over on the AMC website, it explains that face paint is prohibited in their cinemas.

An FAQ reads: "We love it when our guests dress up for the occasion, however no weapons, even 'prop' weapons, can be brought in.

"Also, face paint, helmets, masks (except for standard face masks used explicitly for health and safety reasons), or anything that covers the face are prohibited."

Tyla has reached out to AMC for further comment.

Wicked is in cinemas now.