A Minecraft Movie has been a meme from the start. The moment the first trailer dropped, the internet was all over the insane casting, the unusual CGI art style, and the references to the original game. Even though it was mostly a joke, it became one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year.
You get comfortable in your seat, trying not to eat all of your snacks before the movie even starts, but then “that” scene hits: Jason Momoa’s character, Garett Garrison, gets thrown into a fighting ring by a group of evokers, and his opponent? An innocent chicken. Suddenly, a baby zombie lands on top of the chicken, making it his steed: an extremely rare event in the game.
And in an instant, Jack Black’s character and literally every teenager in the theater yell…
“CHICKEN JOCKEY!”
Popcorn flies, phones flash, someone brings a live chicken into the theater (literally). The movie’s paused, the audience is lectured, and cops are called. For some, this moment was the peak of the night. For others, the entire theater experience was ruined. Some even went as far as to compare this “audience participation” to Rocky Horror Picture Show, a 1975 cult classic where viewers are encouraged to dress up, sing-along, and shout lines during screenings. But A Minecraft Movie is intended for children, not for chaos. Ironically, most children were calmer than the teens recording TikToks of the scene.
Then there’s the quieter crowd who just wanted to see a movie in peace, mostly accompanying children. For them, this kind of disruption raised serious questions about movie theater etiquette and the ever-growing influence of online trends spilling into real-world spaces.
This wasn’t the first time, though, that fans (or attention-seekers) decided to turn a theater into their personal stage.
In 2021, during the theatrical release of Billie Eilish’s concert film, fans rushed to the front of the theater, phone flashlights waving, and belted out every lyric they had memorized. And in 2023, when Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour released, Swifties locked hands and spun in circles, singing along to willow in what could only be described as cult-like.
But it’s not just theaters. These disruptions are leaking into every corner of public life. Scroll through TikTok and you’ll see people like @hestonjames and others straight up yelling in Target, then recording minimum wage workers without their consent, acting like it was someone else who yelled. The boundaries of socially acceptable behavior have been eradicated. Gen-Z content creators no longer stop and ask “Is this appropriate?” and only ask “Will this go viral?”
Now whether you’re at a movie, a concert, or just trying to buy groceries in peace, you’re one loud, viral moment away from being part of someone else’s bit.
Maybe the real disruption isn’t the yelling or the flashlights or the live chicken. Maybe it’s the fact that we forgot how to just… be normal in public. Not every moment needs to be content. Sometimes, you really can just sit down, shut up, and watch the movie.
…Just watch the movie.