Cinemas are on high alert as the “chicken jockey” craze from Minecraft fans turns movie nights into noisy, popcorn-throwing madness.
A bizarre new trend has emerged in movie theaters: rebellious Minecraft audiences have taken to throwing their popcorn and shouting out “chicken jockey!” as one of the stars, Jack Black, bellows it out as a baby zombie rides a chicken.
A baby zombie riding a chicken is a rare phenomenon in the Minecraft game, with only a 0.5% chance of it spawning, when a player has all the requisite conditions to spawn one.
The trend itself has been doing the rounds since the movie was released on April 4th, and one video on TikTok has an audience member firing an automatic rifle, as popcorn also covers the auditorium. The video has a million views.
@exposed.cut.copper.slab bro who opened fire? ref DO something they’re sliming the whole audience 💔😭 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #exposedcutcopperslab #chickenjockey #minecraft #minecraftmovie #aminecraftmovie #minecraftmemes #minecraftmeme ♬ original sound - exposed cut copper slab
Chaos like this is made possible through viral short-form videos on TikTok, and the reaction to the mischief has caused hysteria on social media.
And ten days into Minecraft being shown, it has emerged that the cinema-going has become more extreme, with fans setting off fireworks and even taking in a live chicken into the cinema.
One user took to X to bring empathy to the cinema ushers by stating that it’s “frankly quite insane and rude and you are a bad person.”
buying a huge bag of popcorn just so you can piss the cinema workers off when jack black says chicken jockey is frankly quite insane and rude and you are a bad person https://t.co/fTHyCgH2wx
undefined nick (@lovechazelle) April 9, 2025
Such a type of trend recalls the #gentleminions experience of 2022 when teenagers and young adults dressed in formal attire, mimicking the style of the character Gru.
Most fans attending the Minions movie were engaging in harmless fun. However, some fans, particularly in the UK, became boisterous, causing some bans on unaccompanied minors wearing suits.
It’s proof that a certain segment of Gen Z sees attending the cinema as an interactive experience and not as a passive one.
Fans feel part of the movie when they engage with the viral moments; it’s pure fandom. For others, this represents chaos and ruins their cinematic experience.
To combat this, Cineworld, a company based in the UK and Ireland, has allocated specific dress-up screenings to help contain the energy.
The film industry has been caught off-guard by this fad and has to balance safety and entertainment in bursts of energy for the chicken jockey slogan.
Other costume parties that have been popular for feature-length pictures through the ages include The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and most recently, The Barbie Movie.
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