The debate about method acting has been one that’s always bubbling just under the surface of the conversation when it comes to determining whether or not performers can often take things to unnecessary extremes when getting into character, but paying customers have unearthed a new twist on the formula after Creed III screenings led to method viewing.
Watching Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors battling for in-ring supremacy has certainly appeared to have an adverse affect on audiences, with reports emerging that around a dozen brawls have been reported in French theaters over the weekend, while further tales of fisticuffs have also been unearthed in Germany.
One particularly alarming case saw a 500-person theater evacuated in the small town of Thionville after a mass fight broke out during the film, while a handful of independent cinemas have decided to stop showing Creed III altogether after it suddenly became a hotbed for violence.
The Gentleminions trend was one thing, but handing over your hard-earned cash to go and watch a film at your local multiplex only to either be involved or caught up in a spot of pugilism that would make Rocky Balboa himself proud is an entirely different – and much more questionable – kettle of fish.
There’s no harm in becoming invested in the action unfolding onscreen, but when it suddenly evolves into everyone thinking they’ve got what it takes to go 12 rounds with the person sitting next to them, it goes without saying that the dedication to Creed III has gone several steps too far.