Why is a Minecraft Movie causing chaos in cinemas and what is the ‘chicken jockey’ trend?
Since its release, the movie has become more than just a box office hit - it has ignited a bizarre new trend in cinemas where audiences are erupting with laughter, shouting and throwing popcorn at a specific moment in the film. Picture: iStock.
Most of us will make a trip to the cinema to immerse ourselves in the experience of watching a movie on the big screen and to relax and unwind.
We love the ritual of it. From walking through the doors, queuing for the popcorn and a fizzy drink, to losing ourselves in a movie.
That hasn’t been the case for many cinema goers as of late, however, with causing chaos at cinema theatres across the globe.
Social media has been flooded with videos showing overly enthusiastic cinemagoers shouting lines from the video game adaptation, openly filming with their phones, throwing popcorn, and clapping loudly, since the movie was released last weekend.
Since its release, the movie has become more than just a box office hit - it has ignited a bizarre new trend in cinemas where audiences are erupting with laughter, shouting and throwing popcorn at a specific moment in the film.
Fans of the movie become particularly disruptive during a scene where one of the stars, Jack Black, calls out “Chicken jockey!” at the appearance of a baby zombie riding a chicken.
The trend began when the film’s trailer introduced the memorable line during the scene where Jack Black’s character Steve and Jason Momoa’s character face off in a boxing ring against a blocky Minecraft chicken ridden by another character.
A nod to the popular video game, the scene became a crowd favourite, causing cinemagoers to shout the phrase in unison during the scene.
The “chicken jockey” trend has gone viral on TikTok and has resulted in a number of cinemas across the globe taking measures to deal with disruptive behaviour at showings of the movie, with reports of police being called in to intervene in some instances.
A number of cinemas across the UK have since posted notices warning audience members against disrupting screenings and others have announced that they have had to adopt a “zero-tolerance approach” and stop screenings altogether if audiences take things too far.
Videos of the scenes coming out of cinemas across the globe show cinemagoers shouting, laughing disruptively, and throwing popcorn and fizzy drinks through the air.
Videos of the aftermath of the screenings of the movie have also gone viral, showing fizzy drinks spilled and popcorn thrown all over the theatre floor and on its seating.
The had a massive opening weekend at the box office, finishing its opening weekend with a confirmed global bow of $313.7 million (€276.3 million). The movie brought in $163 million (€143.6 million) from North America, beating out the opening weekend of Barbie. Overseas figures also came in higher than estimated last Monday, totalling $150.7 million (€132.7 million).
