Miley Cyrus heckled by fans who thought her movie premiere was concert

A major mix-up nearly turned Miley Cyrus’ big film screening into an all-out riot.

The Disney alum showed up to celebrate the Tribeca Festival premiere of Something Beautiful — the visual album that accompanies her new record of the same name — on Friday, and after the movie played, the sold-out event culminated with a discussion featuring Cyrus, her producer Panos Cosmatos, and collaborators Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter, who co-directed the project with her. 

However, the conversation was repeatedly interrupted when disgruntled fans kept yelling for Cyrus to sing.

“We thought this was a concert!” one attendee screamed out in the middle of the Q&A, per fan-recorded footage. “We paid $800!”

Another audience member shouted, “Are you actually gonna sing?!”

In video of the talkback, Cyrus appears visibly shocked by the demand as the heckling from the crowd intensified.

Later, one attendee got even more specific with their request, yelling, “Sing ‘The Climb’!”

Cyrus’ reaction was smooth, with the pop star coyly replying, “You have to start it.”

The “Flowers” singer then gave the people what they wanted, delivering a few verses of the 2009 hit from Hannah Montana: The Movie. The a cappella performance quickly turned into a sing-along as the crowd joined in.

Representatives for Cyrus and the Tribeca Festival did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.

Afterwards, the heckling fans were criticized on social media as Cyrus’ supporters came to her defense.

“They thought they were going to the Tribeca Film Festival for a concert?!?!?” one commenter questioned on X. Another complained, “Those ‘fans’ are soooo rude and entitled. They should be ashamed.”

Others praised Cyrus for giving in and singing the song. “She handled this with such class and grace. Shame on them,” an X user wrote.

Several of the aggrieved fans in attendance also took to social media to defend themselves, with many claiming that they purchased tickets for the premiere on resale platforms that advertised the event as a concert. One fan posted a screenshot of a VividSeats link that said “Miley Cyrus & 2025 Endless Summer Vacation Tour.”

But Cyrus has not announced a tour to accompany her latest release, explaining that the Something Beautiful movie was her way of bringing the new album to her fans.

“The film is my way of touring,” the Disney alum told Zane Lowe in May. She added that she’d originally planned to perform in ambitious locations worldwide until Harrison Ford talked her out of it. 

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“I show him my idea of Somewhere Beautiful, which is performing in all the forests and at the pyramids and all these things,” she recalled. “He goes, ‘You really want to go and set up in a forest? And do what?’ He’s like, ‘You going to bring a crew? … Looks expensive.'”

Cyrus took the advice to heart, later telling her team, “We’re not performing in the forest anymore. Harrison Ford made a lot of sense.”

The album Something Beautiful is out now. Its film of the same name hits theaters for one night only on June 12.