Cinema audiences have been going wild over two words Jack Black said in the box-hit Minecraft movie.
Over its opening weekend (4 April), A Minecraft Movie blew it out of the park, pulling in an estimated $300 million (£233 million) globally. Despite some critics calling it the 'worst movie' of 2025, it’s now claimed the title for biggest opening weekend ever for a video game adaptation, overtaking The Super Mario Bros. Movie, according to The Guardian.
The story follows four misfits who get pulled into Minecraft’s Overworld through a mysterious portal and stars Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Wednesday’s Emma Myers, and The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge. But one scene in particular is driving fans completely wild. Clips have been circulating on TikTok showing packed movie theatres erupting in cheers, chaos and flying popcorn.
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The reason?
In one scene, Black’s character comes face-to-face with a Minecraft chicken being ridden around a boxing ring. At which point, he yells: “Chicken Jockey!”
The clip was first teased in the official Warner Bros trailer that reached over 1.3 million views, so no wonder the trend is spreading like wildfire. On social media, Minecraft fans are roaring with applause while throwing popcorn everywhere in response to the two words.
For those unfamiliar with Minecraft, a chicken jockey is a rare enemy in the game that comes in the form of a baby zombie riding a chicken. According to a Minecraft-dedicated fandom page, these characters have less than a half-percent (0.4875 percent) chance of spawning, making their sight a big deal to players.
In response to the clips, people have been anything but quiet. “My theatre 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.
Over on Reddit, one user in a teachers' forum wrote: "My condolences to everyone hearing “chicken jockey.”" while someone else agreed: "Exactly same happened when i was watching".
But not everyone is following the hype - especially movie theatre staff. Cinemas across the UK and US, including branches of Cineworld and REEL, have now issued warnings to avoid such 'disruptive behaviour' at the screenings. “Disruptive behaviour, including taking part in TikTok trends, before, during, or after a screening will not be tolerated," a cinema spokesperson said. “Anyone causing disruption will be asked to leave, and where necessary, the police will be called.”
