MAMMA MIA! Sing-Along Edition Opens Friday
By Norm Schrager at August 25, 2008 | 10:40 pm | Print
UPDATE (08.27.08) Here’s news that takes the sing-along thing a step further: At tonight’s promotional screening in Boston, the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus will be leading the mass Mamma Mia! karaoke in the theater. So if you’re in Boston and going this evening, get ready to be intimidated. Just leave the singing to them. The idea came from the BGMC’s performance of “extrABBAganza” this past June.
ORIGINAL POST: As if the film version of Mamma Mia! weren’t already giddy and shameless, here comes more musical silliness: This Friday, August 29, a sing-along version of Mamma Mia! will be released in a limited selection of theaters, with specific venues TBA.
Read Allison’s Mamma Mia! review
Yes, I’m sure this will be infectious fun for fans of the movie or ABBA. But this is a brilliant stroke of marketing on Universal’s part, an ideal way to attract repeat viewers to one of the studio’s most successful films ever. (The Universal press release says “Due to an overwhelming demand from fans…” Uh huh.) By the way, a sing-along edition of The Sound of Music has screened in some cities before, complete with attendees in costume. Now no straight guy is gonna do that.
As of this post, Mamma Mia! has grossed around $125 million in the U.S., still in the Top Ten after 38 days of release. Only one other Top Ten movie has hung around that long: The Dark Knight. But the bright and sunny songfest is enormous overseas.
In international distribution, Mamma Mia! has earned over $232 million, making it the most popular global musical movie of all time. And the film still hasn’t opened in about two dozen markets, including Brazil, France and Mexico. In the UK, it’s the biggest film of the year and the 11th highest grosser of all time.
Are we just a bit too cynical here in the U.S.? Too hardened to enjoy Pierce Brosnan attempt to sing? Too snobbish to appreciate the pop punch of ABBA? Maybe it’s time to follow the bouncing ball … just keep it down if your voice sucks.
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