Warner Bros.Yes, people are still going to see A Minecraft Movie, and yes, they’re still behaving badly. For one cinema, enough is enough – and that means a strict “chicken jockey” warning.
It might have split critic and fan opinion, but the new movie‘s record-breaking box office proves it’s the second most successful video game adaptation in film history. It’s not even been out for a month yet, meaning its big screen takeover isn’t going away anytime soon.
But while Warner Bros. is rubbing its hands in glee, cinema workers aren’t quite as enthusiastic. You’ve likely seen the viral videos of fans going wild for certain scenes, trashing theaters across the US and UK, and even being called out by the police.
Now, theaters are taking matters into their own hands, with one cinema issuing the strictest Minecraft warning yet.
You can now be refused cinema entry to watch A Minecraft Movie
If you head to your local movie theater to see A Minecraft Movie this week, you might be met with a stern message before taking your seats. As one fan posted on Reddit, “These signs were taped to the door of our movie theater for the Minecraft movie.”
Alongside show timings, a sign reads “Notice to all guests attending A Minecraft Movie: The throwing of popcorn, candy, or any other items inside the auditorium or any area of the building is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Reddit“This behavior is disruptive, unsafe, and disrespectful to others. Anyone caught throwing items will be asked to leave immediately and will be banned from returning to the cinema indefinitely. We are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable movie experience for all guests. Thank you for your cooperation.”
We’ve all seen the madness: fans going crazy for “chicken jockey” by throwing food, belongings, and sometimes even holding live chickens while watching the movie. Even star Jack Black had to step in and ask fans not to be so disruptive during screenings.
Most cinemas have opted for another approach to stop this from happening, though. Instead of strict policies, some theaters are putting on special Chicken Jockey screenings where anything goes… except the throwing of popcorn, of course.
“One of the best ways to contain overexuberant behavior is to provide an isolated place where it’s allowed. People like to go apesh*t, so having an apesh**tery where they can do that without getting in trouble versus the norm of getting in trouble helps move all those people into somewhere where they can be more easily dealt with,” one fan replied on Reddit.
Warner Bros.“I still don’t envy the movie workers, but I’m sure it’s easier to clean up the theater getting absolutely trashed once per day than it is to clean the theater only getting mostly trashed like eight times per day.”
“I’ve seen mosh pits less chaotic than some of the movie theater footage over this movie,” another weighed in, with a third agreeing, “The showing I went to seemed to be mostly kids, and it was perfectly respectful the whole way through. Anyone doing the trend has to be other teens or adults, and we all know they’re only doing it for the clout.”
Now the film has been out for a few weeks, the TikTok trends appear to be dying down, but screenings will likely still be in theaters for a while to come. As of writing, there’s no confirmed at-home streaming date for A Minecraft Movie.
A Minecraft Movie is in cinemas now. Read our breakdown of the movie’s ending and post-credits scene, the story behind Mumbo Jumbo’s cameo, and our list of every YouTuber’s cameo.
