Jack Black delivers the viral “chicken jockey” line in “A Minecraft Movie,” but he doesn’t sign off on the chaotic fan behavior surrounding it in theaters and on social media.
The comedian and “School of Rock” star surprised moviegoers at a showing of “Minecraft” over the weekend and encouraged them to be on their best behavior, according to video shared Sunday by the Hollywood Handle. Disguising his voice as that of a theater spokesperson, Black can be heard telling fans “for today’s presentation of ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ please no throwing popped corn.”
“And also no lapis lazuli. And absolutely no…,” he continues his message before, screaming, “chicken jockeys!”
In the video, Black introduces himself to the group of young, excited moviegoers. “I am Steve,” he tells them, referencing his character in Warner Bros.’ film adaptation of the popular video game franchise. Black also shows off his prop pickax and runs across the theater hyping up fans before the showing starts.
So what was the deal with his popcorn disclaimer?
The “Kung Fu Panda” star encouraged audience members to restrain themselves after several videos showed “Minecraft” viewers at various showings throwing objects, screaming and loudly cheering during a viral scene. In the film, which premiered earlier this month, Black and Jason Momoa’s characters find themselves in the middle of a boxing ring. Their foe, in true “Minecraft” fashion, is a blocky baby zombie riding a cubist chicken: a “chicken jockey,” as Black’s Steve properly notes.
Since its creation more than a decade ago, the “Minecraft” franchise has spawned countless memes among fans and the rare combination of a chicken and a zombie in the game is among those inside jokes. The movie’s nod to that bit of fan lore only took the meme to the next level.
In several viral social media videos, moviegoers break out into chaos during the “chicken jockey” scene: They flash their phone lights, launch their popcorn and drinks toward the screen and scream throughout the fight sequence. In one video, a masked audience member can be seen holding a live chicken as they sit atop another moviegoer’s shoulders.
As a result of the raucous crowds, theater workers — often left to deal with the messy aftermath — are also tasked with encouraging moviegoers to avoid throwing objects at the screen. Police officials have been recruited to escort some audience members out for their behavior. Beyond the chaos of “chicken jockey,” some “Minecraft” viewers have also personalized their showings with preshow speeches.
“It’s been way too fun,” director Jared Hess told Entertainment Weekly. Hess, who directed Black in “Nacho Libre” and broke out with “Napoleon Dynamite,” said he didn’t see the harm in the trend and finds it funny “that cops are getting called for popcorn.”
“I’m just glad people are making memories with their friends and families,” he said.
On its opening weekend, “A Minecraft Movie” earned a record-breaking $157-million domestic and $144-million overseas. A clear winner amid Hollywood’s continued push for video game adaptations, the action-comedy bested “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” for the highest-performing video game film adaptation.
In her review, Times critic Amy Nicholson wrote that “A Minecraft Movie” was “essentially a meathead version of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ ” The film stars Black, Momoa, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks.
