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.
A number of cinemas in the UK, including Cineworld in Witney, the Radway in Sidmouth and the Reel cinemas in Fareham and Rochdale, have posted notices warning audience members against disrupting screenings of A Minecraft Movie, while the Regent Cinema in Newtown, Wales said it would adopt a “zero-tolerance approach” of stopping screenings if audiences go too far.
One cinemagoer in Newtown told the Powys County Times: “Quite honestly I’ve seen monkeys at Chester Zoo behave more civilised than those at the 1.45pm showing on Saturday.”
Witney Cineworld said offenders would be ejected: “Any form of antisocial behaviour, especially anything that may disturb other guests such as loud screaming, clapping and shouting will not be tolerated. Anyone who is found to be acting in this manner will be removed from the screening and not entitled to a refund.”
The Radway in Sidmouth posted a similar warning on its social media page saying: “Anyone found taking part in the current social media trend involving A Minecraft Movie will be removed from the cinema. We wish for our customers to enjoy the experience they have paid for.” The Reel in Rochdale said the police would be called “where necessary”.
Cineworld, one of the UK’s largest cinema chains, is attempting to steer more vocal Minecraft fans towards specially created screenings. It has announced “one-off” showings this weekend giving filmgoers the chance to dress up as Minecraft characters and “let your hair down” and encouraged “shouting ‘chicken jockey’ as you see fit!” on those occasions.
However, the chain asked people attending the screenings on 13 April in its 4DX format – which includes effects such as strobe lighting and movable seats – to not go “full creeper”, referring to a villainous creature in the Minecraft game that can hurt or kill players.
“No mess please, just good clean fun,” said Cineworld in a statement advertising the screenings.
In the US, the Township theatre in Washington, New Jersey has banned unaccompanied minors from attending screenings of the film after what it called an “unfortunate situation” on 4 April. In a social media post, it said: “Large groups of unsupervised boys engaged in completely unacceptable behaviour, including vandalism … 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.”
It added: “If your son was at Township theatre last night, we strongly encourage you to have a conversation with him about his behaviour.”
Despite incidents of rowdy behaviour across cinemas in the US and UK, it was business as usual at a Cineworld in Didsbury, Manchester on Wednesday. At a couple of early afternoon screenings of the film starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa during the school Easter holidays, the viral scene was met with silence, with cinema staff saying they had not experienced any rowdy or antisocial behaviour.
For Luke Halil, 29, and Carla Gouveia, 24, who came to watch the film with their young son, it was a peaceful experience. The couple said they were familiar with the “chicken jockey” trend but had not expected any unusual behaviour, as they had booked an early afternoon viewing.
“It was really quiet. The film were good,” Gouveia said. “I think because of the time of day, it was less likely to be how it has been. If you were to come in the evening you probably would witness more of that kind of behaviour.”
In 2022 TikTok was at the centre of another disruptive cinema trend when some audience members disrupted screenings of Minions: The Rise of Gru, prompting some UK cinemas to ban groups of young people turning up for screenings in fancy dress.
A Minecraft Movie has proved unexpectedly successful at the box office, scoring the highest ever opening weekend for a video game adaptation in North America, and amassing about $314m across the world. Despite initial reservations among hardcore Minecraft enthusiasts after a poorly received initial trailer, the film has benefited from huge enthusiasm from younger audiences.
The ticket sales have boosted a cinema industry that is struggling to regain pre-Covid levels, amid stiff competition from YouTube, social media and TV streaming services.
TikTok declined to comment.
Source: theguardian.com
