A Minecraft Movie has been absolutely cleaning up at the box office since its release earlier this month. Unfortunately, an online trend is making some of these screenings a lot less enjoyable. Over the last week or so, there have been a number of instances of theater patrons cheering loudly and throwing popcorn during the movie’s “Chicken Jockey” sequence. Across the internet, countless videos have been posted of such instances, while those who work in movie theaters have shared images of the lengthy cleanup that follows these screenings. It’s a big problem for a lot of attendees, as well as theater employees.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The situation has clearly gotten the attention of Warner Bros. A new disclaimer is now being shown ahead of screenings of A Minecraft Movie, asking attendees to be courteous to those around them, while reminding them that “popcorn buckets are not to be used as Ender Pearls.” A Minecraft Movie star Jack Black also made an appearance at a theater over the weekend, personally asking those in attendance to avoid throwing popcorn. A video of Black appearing at a theater was shared on Bluesky by Every Film Now, and can be found in the post embedded below.
It remains to be seen whether these measures will help, but hopefully it will lead to things calming down. While the level of enthusiasm has been great to see, those throwing popcorn and actually carrying friends on their shoulders are making the overall experience worse for a lot of people. Going to the movies isn’t cheap, and a lot of people spend good money to watch something on the big screen. Those who throw popcorn and disrupt screenings are going to make less people want to go see movies in theaters, at a time where chains need every hit they can get.
It’s worth noting that, not only do these actions make the movie going experience worse for both attendees and employees, those throwing popcorn can end up kicked out for doing so, and the police have also been called over some incidents. Not everyone is upset about these types of theater experiences, though. A Minecraft Movie director Jared Hess has defended raucous theater goers, telling Entertainment Weekly recently that it’s “so funny to me that cops are getting called for popcorn” and that he’s “glad people are making memories with their friends and families.”
RELATED: Minecraft Movie Director “Would Have a Blast Doing the Sequel”
With A Minecraft Movie reaching its third week in theaters, hopefully things will start to calm down a little. While the movie continues to do very well at the box office, it’s hard to say just how prevalent these incidents are now. At this point, no one is getting any internet clout for it, and incidents where people are getting kicked out might start to dissuade anyone considering doing so at their own screenings.
Have you seen A Minecraft Movie in theaters? How do you feel about the “Chicken Jockey” trend? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: Insider Gaming]
Most Viewed
-
WWE Raw on Netflix
