‘Minecraft’ movie audiences cause chaos with Tiktok trend. See why – Florida Today

Show Caption

• The “Chicken Jockey” refers to a rare occurrence in the Minecraft game where a zombie rides a chicken, and the movie’s portrayal of this has sparked audience excitement.
• While the film’s director expresses amusement at the trend, some theaters are implementing restrictions, such as requiring adult supervision for young viewers.
• The movie is currently playing in theaters, with streaming availability expected in the summer of 2025.

Who knew two words could send a movie theater into pure chaos?

A viral social media trend has resulted in moviegoers causing pure mayhem during showings of “A Minecraft Movie,” particularly when the term “Chicken Jockey” is said.

Based on the popular video game, the film was a major success at the box office opening weekend, grossing a record-breaking $157 million domestically. USA TODAY reports it’s the biggest three-day opening ever for a movie based on a video game at the domestic box office.

The film follows four misfits as they are pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld, a cubic land that puts your imagination to the test. The crew endures a series of tasks to get home, teaming up with master crafter Steve (Jack Black) along the way.

What is the Minecraft movie trend? What is the Minecraft chicken jockey?

“Chicken jockey” refers to the rare situation when a zombie character rides a chicken like a horse in Minecraft.

Confused about why that is so exciting? As the Hollywood Reporter writes, the moment feels somewhat similar to when Captain America successfully caught Thor’s hammer in “Avengers: Endgame.”

Black’s character calls out the “chicken jockey” line during a scene where Jason Momoa’s character (Garett Garrison) is about to fight the child zombie, rallying moviegoers to join in. Videos show filled theaters with teenagers screaming, throwing popcorn and climbing on top of each other once the line is uttered.

One video even cuts to a live chicken in the lobby, saying it was brought into the theater.

See social media videos of Minecraft trend

‘Way too fun’ Minecraft movie director supports trend

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Jared Hass shared his joy over the social media trending. He said it was “hysterical,” adding he had been sent a lot of the videos.

He touched on the controversy with the trend and how he doesn’t understand why it’s causing trouble, saying “it’s weird when you’re having too much fun and the cops get called.”

“It’s funny because I think it’s just literally cheering and throwing popcorn, which is so funny to me that cops are getting called for popcorn. Yeah, it’s hilarious. I’ve seen so many funny videos,” Hass said. “It’s great, especially when people are climbing on their friends’ shoulders and standing up and cheering for those moments. It’s like this crazy anticipation. But, man, I’m just glad people are making memories with their friends and families.”

Are movie theaters putting out warnings for Minecraft moviegoers?

As of April 11, none of the major theaters have addressed the trend. According to THR, their silence could be after past experiences where issuing warnings backfires and leads to more bad behavior. 

One New Jersey movie theater shared on Facebook that they would ban children from seeing the film without an adult.

“Large groups of unsupervised boys engaged in completely unacceptable behavior, including vandalism. We also received multiple complaints from other moviegoers who were trying to enjoy the film with their families,” the theater wrote in part, adding, “Moving forward: Any minors wishing to see The Minecraft Movie MUST be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Unaccompanied groups of boys will not be admitted.”

Where to see ‘A Minecraft Movie’ in Florida theaters

You can buy tickets to see “A Minecraft Movie” now! To find a movie theatre near you and grab tickets, check out each theater’s website:

When will ‘A Minecraft Movie’ be available to stream?

There hasn’t been an official announcement, but “A Minecraft Movie” could hit streaming by the end of May.

Forbes and IGN predict that “A Minecraft Movie” will be available to stream over the summer, sometime in June or July 2025.

Warner Bros. tends to add its newest releases to Max between 60 and 100 days after its theatrical run, according to Forbes, and could stream digitally (for rent or purchase on buy or rent on sites like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and YouTube TV) as soon as May 19, 2025.

Contributing: Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer

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