The news cycle since A Minecraft Movie‘s April 4 release has gone something like this: “Whoa, that movie is making a lot of money!” right into “Whoa, that movie is inspiring some over-excited audience reactions!” While Jared Hess’ film is continuing to rake in box-office receipts worldwide, the social media frenzy over what’s happening at its screenings is now commanding the narrative. We all know what a “chicken jockey” is now, and Hess couldn’t be more delighted.
“It’s been so bananas,” Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, Masterminds) told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s been way too fun … It’s weird when you’re having too much fun and the cops get called. It’s funny because I think it’s just literally cheering and throwing popcorn, which is so funny to me that cops are getting called for popcorn. Yeah, it’s hilarious. I’ve seen so many funny videos.”
While the rowdy audiences have inspired some theaters to issue warnings against bad behavior from Minecraft fans, Hess has a more positive take on the situation. “I’m just glad people are making memories with their friends and families,” he told EW. “I’m just so happy that people are finding joy in going back to cinemas and seeing things as a community, as a group of people. It’s like we’ve become so isolated on our devices, and it’s just fun to experience things as a group of human beings [and] it’s fun that they’ve found it in this goofy movie that we’ve made.”
Perhaps the takeaway is, if you want to watch A Minecraft Movie in a quiet environment where you can hear every quotable line slipping from Jack Black’s lips, and not be showered in popcorn bits, you’ll need to wait until its home release. If you want to scream “chicken jockey” at the screen, however, A Minecraft Movie is in theaters now. Please do leave your actual feathered friends at home, though!
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