In the wake of the film’s release, cinemagoers have been sharing footage of crowds watching the film, with certain moments prompting loud, vocal responses from the people in attendance.
One moment, which features prominently in the film’s trailer, sees Black and Momoa confronted in a boxing ring by a cuboid Minecraft chicken, who is ridden around the ring by another character. “Chicken jockey,” exclaims Black’s character, a reference to the video game that seems to be sending audiences wild.
Several videos captured by cinemagoers show audiences chanting the line along with Black, before whooping and clapping loudly. On social media, many people attested that they had witnessed, or participated in, similar outbursts.
“My theater clapped every time Jack Black name dropped a Minecraft item that was in the trailers, and when he said Chicken Jockey I s*** you not the entire row in front of me gave a standing ovation,” one person shared.
“Just got back from watching the movie myself, can confirm everyone in the theater collectively yelled ‘CHICKEN JOCKEY’ during that moment and it was glorious ngl,” wrote another.
“This is what made me love my experience more, bc even though the movie wasn’t as bad as i thought it was going to be, the packed cinema with everyone shouting, clapping and cheering whenever jack black name dropped something genuinely gave me so much joy,” commented someone else.
However, the phenomenon has drawn staunch criticism from others, with some claiming that audience participation had “ruined” the theatrical experience for them.
Cranks be banished. Half the fun of going to popcorn movies is the experience of talking to it with the rest of the audience. If you can’t enjoy collective experiences then just stay at home desolately weeping with your criterion collection. stfu!
The criterion collection includes a series of 1980 Hong Kong horror comedy films that feature slapstick and kungfu that has a guy in a gorilla costume chasing people down a hill, people arguing in animal noises, horny ghosts, and a competition between 2 monks to see who can get their shrine higher on stilts.
Don’t shit on the criterion collection catalogue.
Isn’t audience participation part of the theater experience?
For stage shows that have some audience participation as an element, sure. For most other cases, it just seems like people who don’t know how to behave themselves in public. Like, sure, go for it if you’re at a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening, or the theater advertised it as a sing along screening, but otherwise, it’s inappropriate and inconsiderate.
How did TRHPS experience become what we know it as today?
Imagine hearing about TRHPS in 1976 or 1977 and going to see it and experiencing it especially without knowing fully what you were walking into?
What is different about the emergence of participatory memes for Minecraft vs. the established memes for TRHPS? The quickness of the behavior? The documentation of it? The fact that it’s new for us now and not something we inherited?
Quite Frankenfurtively, I’d rather be in the theater with a bunch of people enjoying it as opposed to people sitting there rigidly watching what amounts to be a very silly movie.
And besides, if people are so upset, ask for a refund or comp ticket and leave the theater. The same raucous behavior happened every Friday night when a horror film was screening back in my day.
Eh, if I knew it was permitted going in, that’s on me. If it’s a new movie and there’s no notice that they’ll allow that behavior, and they allow some guests to be loud and obnoxious for the whole showing, I wouldn’t go back to that theater unless I heard things changed. That was more than enough to avoid teenagers being insufferable at Friday night horror films when I was growing up. Some of them allowed it, and they had ongoing problems with teenagers being little monsters (breaking stuff, causing fights, bothering other patrons outside the theaters, etc), and gained reputations for being dumps not worth going to. Others required teenagers to be accompanied by parents, to control them a bit and shame them into behaving. Others just didn’t indulge in it at all, and would just straight up kick out disruptive people.
I’d prefer more places had a system like Alamo Drafthouse’s, where they post on the site when it’s going to be a screening with audience participation, or a children’s screening, or whatever. Everyone is free to choose the sort of screening they want to attend, and those who opt for a quiet theater experience without some muppet feeling the need to scream “Oh no! He’s gonna get you bitch, run!” or similarly obvious outbursts, don’t have to put up with it.
Honestly, 9/10, I find the people shouting and carrying on really only add something to the experience for the friends that went with them and find them funny. Save that for when you’re watching at home with them, or when there’s a screening that explicitly allows it.
Same thing happened with the emoji movie and the minion movie. As a former teenager I can attest that screaming at a mediocre movie with friends is a good time
It happened with Snakes on a Plane too. Everyone was waiting to cheer when SLJ said that one line. Cool vibes.
As long as it’s a thing just for shit/mediocre movies, seems fun. Might even be a fun new subgenre.
But I be fucked if I wanna see it at “real” movies where I’m invested in the actual film.
Are there absurd transvestie aliens in this movie?
Idiocracy.
Go to an indie theater screening of The Room or Rocky Horror. People interacting with the movie has been a thing for decades. People were shit-talking to the characters on stage during Shakespeare’s plays during his lifetime.
Right. Comparing this to screenings of niche/cult movies in private like settings and plebeian behaviour from over 400 years ago… Ok then.
In fairness this is the only way to enjoy the film. Other than media literacy YouTubers that’ll praise it in a few years, I think this is the best it’ll get in a while.
Honestly, I watched the pirated version at home and thought it was dogshit… but…
I get it, this kind of stuff makes it actually enjoyable. This is like when people brought snakes in a can to Snakes on a Plane and got wild. You have to make your own entertainment sometimes. I probably would have ended up enjoying this movie had I seen it with an audience like this.
Good on these people and boo-hoo for the crybabies who can’t handle other people having fun. They’re not hurting anybody doing this.
Fyi the pirates version i found was a workgroup release and was missing a lot of visual effects at my first brief skim through it. That’s the only reason we went to the movies to watch it (my kid’s request).
Though, the movie really wasn’t that good (from someone that never got into minecraft). But like, the world of war warcraft movie was a good stand alone movie (from someone that never got into WoW).
My favorite part was when the Minecraft guy said, “it’s craftin’ time” then he crafted all those mines.
So Jared Leto is in it!
Born to be a creeper
He actually does say “First we mine, then we craft. Let’s Minecraft!”
Mine was when Master Chief showed up in the post-credits and suggested he and Steve should team up and then both shouted “It’s time to play Xbox™ One™”
“Anyway, I started digging. Crunch, Crunch, Crunch.”
*punching a tree
Damnit Janet
A toast!
Meatloaf again?
Oh thank god. I saw it the first night in theaters and it was just a damn riot. Like I get why people complain about the behavior. But the movie really goes well along with it.
I was in tears from laughter by the end of the movie. I don’t know what was intended and what wasn’t, but I definitely had more fun than my kid.
I too loved it. Its almost as good as watching keys being dangled infront of my face.
Really? I don’t get it. I chuckled a couple times at Momoa, but otherwise it felt like listening to a kid describe the game for 2 hrs. Like “HEY HEY HEY! We got Jack black to do his shtick to hide the fact that we didn’t use any writers!”
People go to kids movies, and complain about the kids. Huh.
Isnt the Minecraft generation in their 30s now?
Not at all. New young kids are joining every day. 7 year olds playing it are common (sadly).
Minecraft has only been around for 15 years, so I would think the generation that never knew a time without Minecraft would be about that old, as well.
Reminds me of the Rocky Horror Picture Show stuff
One of the things I want to do before I die. Watch a Midnight screening of RHPS with everyone singing along.
Take your newspaper and rice
Please explain
It’s part of the audience participation.
You put the newspaper over your head during the rain scene, throw the rice during the wedding scene, etc.
There is dozen of things to do and say during the movie.
Example: whenever Brad says his name “I’m Brad Major”, the audience shouts out “ARSEHOLE!”
Oh, the British version. Interesting.
Crossed that one off my bucket list a year ago, t’was a blast! Highly recommend
The crowd and reactions are one of the biggest parts of the theater experience that’s actually positive.
The crowd and reactions are the exact reasons I usually stay in to watch films. Severe anxiety, and all that. I love the theater experience minus that, tho.
I hate the trend of films leaving theaters so quickly now because I used to wait several weeks to catch a film past it’s peak and be one of like 3 people in there and it was bliss. Get the best seat, get to enjoy the film without children crying or people on their phones, or the constant shuffling of jackets. Hyper vigilance is a curse.
But… Catching the 10yr anniversary of Interstellar was the second time I’d been at a packed theater where no one spoke and it was amazing. But it was slightly ruined by the guy next to me stinking of beer and cigarettes.
And catching the R-rated release of the animated Killing Joke was the first time. The film with the original voice actors? It was phenomenal despite the packed theater but it was slightly ruined by the guy next to me constantly using his napkin after every bite and every sip of drink. He’d wipe his face, then his hands, then his cup and toss it somewhere. Rinse and repeat for an hour and a half, every few moments. Drove me nuts. The ending being true to the comic was pretty funny to see the crowd, and specifically him, be so disappointed, plus the quick rushes out the theater for parents to take their kids was satisfying too when they realized R-rating meant R-rating.
Catching mystery films at regal or cheap films at AMC are about all I can do because the experience is cheap enough to outweigh my anxiety, but even that’s been a while with money being tight.
To me the theater is now a place for collective enjoyment. The home viewing experience is good enough if I want to watch something in silence, not that I have even a modest set up. The theater is now about having that energy and cheering because it’s all that’s really left.
That’s valid, for sure! I just can’t do it no mo’.
I just get so anxious and nervous in theaters packed with people. Like, it’s against the rules to make noise or exist. So when people “break the rules” I keep expecting everyone to get into a big fight or screaming match about it and I can’t focus on the film without focusing on the people, waiting for the shoe to drop. That and anxiety about breathing the air of sick people?? That’s only since '20, though.
The B.O. booze/cigs guy was rough. But the napkin dude was driving me nuts because it was the final showing of a two day limited theatrical release that wasn’t chrap. Drove me nuts to spend so much to listen to that dudes napkin wipes lol.
I wish I were built different, but I try every so often to go. I usually stay in with my headphones to get a similar sound feeling.
I imagine it varies between countries. In the UK I would say I’m happy for laughter, and the odd gasp. Anything more such as cheering, singing or clapping is not on to me personally.
I think at this point they could make the “Hawk Tuah Skibidi Movie” and people would clap and throw popcorn in the air every time they say a brain rot catchphrase from tiktok.
And honestly I’m ok with that, the only people there know what they are signing up for.
I’m fine with people getting rowdy (I went to a late screening of Spider-Man: No Way Home that was pretty raucous and it added to the fun) but I draw the line at throwing water and popcorn around as the cinema staff have to clean up that mess.
In a way it’s obviously shitty behaviour, and I feel for the people who have to clean it, on the other hand if the cleaning becomes too much and recurring they will have to hire a dedicated cleaning crew, and that creates jobs
And they will add it to ticket prices
Then a year later they’ll fire those extra people and add the cleaning duties to the regular staff while not paying them more or reducing the ticket prices.
It never fails to baffle me how media has managed to gaslight Americans into thinking that creating pointless busywork jobs for their own sake is some sort of moral imperative.
That’s why I break windows. Six more francs in the hand of the glazier. It is a good thing to break windows, it causes money to circulate, and the encouragement of industry in general will be the result of it.
Michael Bay is in talks for a movie based on the skibidi toilet cinematic universe.
https://variety.com/2024/film/news/skibidi-toilet-michael-bay-movie-adam-goodman-1236077245/
Throw popcorn in the air? Now that’s monstrous. Dont give them any ideas.
I’m ok with it if they clean up after themselves.
Sounds fun, not sure what’s there to be theatrical about
