Minecraft Mania: The Viral Trend That Took Over Theaters

Breaking Down the “Chicken Jockey” Trend

The Minecraft movie has ignited a viral trend known as “Chicken Jockey,” where fans recreate a scene from the film, featuring a baby zombie and a video game chicken. The scene has become a sensation on TikTok, with users creating their own versions and sharing them with the world.

• Before the bout begins, a crate hanging from the ring’s ceiling opens, freeing a baby zombie who lands on top of the chicken, forming a creature known in the video game as a “Chicken Jockey.”
• The reference has sparked a frenzy among fans, who have taken to screaming and throwing popcorn during the movie, much to the annoyance of adult audiences.

The game has broken multiple records, selling an astounding 300 million copies since its release in 2009. The movie has also opened to a massive $163 million domestically and $313 million globally, becoming 2025’s biggest debut and most successful videogame-to-movie adaptation ever.

The craze reached such a fever pitch that REEL Cinemas, a theater chain in England, issued a statement warning moviegoers not to take part in the trend. According to a spokesperson, the chain would be “increasing [their] monitoring of screens during performances” and emphasized that “disruptive behavior, including taking part in TikTok trends, before, during, or after a screening [would] not be tolerated.”

“Disruptive behavior, including taking part in TikTok trends, before, during, or after a screening [would] not be tolerated.” – REEL Cinemas spokesperson

Despite the movie receiving mixed reviews from critics and audiences, the younger generation of moviegoers has managed to turn the film into an experience—just not one everyone else might be interested in. As Bored Pandapreviously reported, ever since the film’s theatrical release last Friday, several moviegoers have taken to social media to complain about the noisy, unpredictable, and, at times, physically violent crowds. Example of a tweet complaining about the movie experience:
“My theater clapped every time Jack Black name-dropped a Minecraft item,” one user tweeted, echoing the sentiments of many who feel the movie has been rendered “unwatchable” by its viral quality. The movie’s faithfulness to the source material has been cited as a major contributing factor to its success. However, this also means that the film’s references and jokes may not appeal to older audiences.

A “Chicken Jockey” is a creature in the Minecraft game that is formed when a baby zombie and a video game chicken come together.

Example of a user praising the movie:

“It was awesome seeing these younger kids and teens have so much fun at the theatre! It reminded me of how going to the movies used to and should be!”

Rodrigo Manriquez, a former content editor at ETC, a media brand focusing on kids and teenagers, explained the movie’s success as the result of being tied to a “generational IP,” whose fame grew right under most adults’ noses in the gaming and streaming worlds. “The game consistently ranks in Twitch’s top 10 most-streamed games and boasts a fanbase of over 200 million active players. So it was only a matter of time before Hollywood found a way to bring it to the big screen,” he added. Example of Manriquez discussing the game’s success:
“You can tell there was a genuine effort to capture everything people love about the game and translate it to the big screen. It’s not just about buying the rights and making a movie—you need to understand the game, capture its essence, and bring out the values that make it appealing.”
Manriquez recognized that the main challenge in productions such as this is achieving an experience that’s fun for both kids and adults—a balance that Minecraft has shown is not so easy to achieve. Example of a user highlighting the challenge of achieving a balance between kids and adults:
“It was a great time!” Despite complaints, many viewers were happy that the movie allowed their children to have fun. Despite the mixed reactions, the Minecraft movie has become a cultural phenomenon, with fans continuing to create and share their own content based on the film. As the trend continues to spread, it will be interesting to see how the movie’s success will impact the gaming industry and the world of entertainment as a whole.