The Minecraft Movie crushed the box office with a $157 million domestic debut.
That’s the biggest ever for a video game film.
But the real action occurs off-screen.
A viral TikTok trend has kids throwing popcorn and shirt-whipping during the “chicken jockey” scene.
Movie theaters are warning fans they’ll be booted if they get too crazy.
What’s the scene about?
Well, Jack Black sees a small character get on a chicken, ready to attack.
He then yells “Chicken jockey!”, and the crowd does too, in unison…And suddenly you feel like you’re country just won the World Cup and you’re there in the stadium.
The Minecraft movie 'CHICKEN JOCKEY!' meme has escalated to the point where some cinemagoers are taking live chickens into screenings. https://t.co/yykVYfhcLo pic.twitter.com/QpcjfI253l
— IGN (@IGN) April 10, 2025
USA Today states:
Move over, Mario. It’s Steve’s time to shine at the box office.
“A Minecraft Movie” shattered expectations at the box office this weekend, grossing a record-breaking $157 million domestically, according to estimates from Comscore. That represented the biggest three-day opening ever for a movie based on a video game at the domestic box office.
And as it breaks records, the fans are breaking the ‘be calm and polite” rules”.
The Guardian reports:
Cinemas have warned audience members they will be ejected if they join in with a TikTok trend encouraging filmgoers to disrupt screenings of the hit Minecraft film.
Footage has emerged on social media of audiences cheering, throwing popcorn and shouting out during the film, particularly 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 “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 video game adaptation.
Behold, the chicken! (someone brought a live chicken haha!)
A theater popped off when Steve from Minecraft says “Chicken Jockey” even bringing a live chicken.
pic.twitter.com/uFATWetmnP— Culture Base (@Culture3ase) April 9, 2025
Even people that didn’t like the movie enjoyed the moment.
the minecraft movie is truly one of the worst movies i’ve ever seen but the universal reaction to “chicken jockey” im seeing made it all worth it. pic.twitter.com/0mxgliSYEp
— ollie 🧡🤍🩷 (@ollie_twt) April 5, 2025
though it was geared towards a different age group i rlly enjoyed laughing about it with a fun group. would i watch it again? no. will i always remember watching it in the theater and the fun that i had? yeah. that’s what makes a movie for me. doesn’t have to be good to be fun
— ollie 🧡🤍🩷 (@ollie_twt) April 5, 2025
But please, no throwing popcorn at the screen.
People at the cinema going crazy over the “Chicken Jockey” scene 💀 pic.twitter.com/oiBVx0Pc9D
— ً (@tylerduran21) April 6, 2025
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