Chicken jockey: how two words created a hullabaloo at the cinema

Cinemas across the world are attempting to deal with unruly behaviour at screenings of A Minecraft Movie, a children’s movie based on the hit video game.

A Cineworld in Oxfordshire has threatened to remove viewers who clap or shout during the film, while a theatre in New Jersey banned unaccompanied minors after what it called an “unfortunate situation”.

The root of the disruption appears to be a TikTok trend in which young cinemagoers descend into a frenzy on Jack Black’s don’t-you-dare delivery of the words “chicken jockey”.

What amounts to an exhausting day at work for cinema staff is free publicity for A Minecraft Movie.

The film has already taken more than $300 million worldwide and had the highest ever opening weekend for a video game adaptation in the US.

Some cinemas have given in and are creating special screenings to separate viewers ready to party from those who want to watch in peace.

Photo credit: Warner Bros. Discovery