Movies

Locals lash out at Mamma Mia-singing tourists in Athens: “You’re not in a Meryl Streep movie”

The 2008 musical film boosted tourism in Greece — and locals aren’t happy about it.

Update: Jun 28th, 2025 00:46 CEST

Ever since the hit Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, based on the songs of Swedish pop group ABBA, hit the big screen in 2008, traveling to Greece hasn’t been the same. Tourists seem more interested in living out scenes from the movie — starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth — than in appreciating the country’s real life and culture.

Now, locals are taking to Reddit to voice their frustration after a video went viral showing a group of foreign tourists singing Mamma Mia! in the historic Athenian neighborhood of Plaka.

@wonderfullyintroverted
Spotted: me in the pink skirt 💖 Singing Mamma Mia with strangers in the streets of the Greek island that the film took place on was just something else 🥲 Beautiful 💙✨ #Greece #GreekIsland #Skopelos #MammaMia #MammaMiaMovie #SoloTravel #FemaleSoloTravel #TravelStories
♬ original sound - Sophie M

What is this obsession with Mamma Mia?

“In ancient tourist sites, I could maybe understand it. But for elderly people living on quiet islands, this noise over the last 10 years has been a nightmare. All of it could be solved if people behaved more respectfully,” one local wrote.

Another user was more blunt: “These people didn’t even know where Greece was 5 or 10 years ago. Now they come here for Instagram. They don’t respect anything. The worst part is, all they care about is content — not how they act.”

Other comments read: “I was never a good student, I have no talent, but I do have common sense. You’re not in a Meryl Streep movie — you’re in a foreign country. Show some respect,” and “Don’t you get it? ‘Greece was closed,’ and now it’s seen as just another party destination.”