'Minecraft Movie' Fans Prompt New Rules in Theaters Amid Chaotic Internet Trend

The summer movie season is here and it’s already kicked off with some big releases on the way.

We’re personally STOKED for Thunderbolts*, the live-action Lilo & Stitch, Fantastic Four, Elio, and Freakier Friday. However, we’ve become aware of a NEW trend that’s happening in movie theaters across the U.S. where young movie audiences have been trashing theaters.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, moviegoers at screenings of A Minecraft Movie have been leaving theaters in shambles by throwing food and drinks and trashing theaters. Videos have appeared on TikTok and X showing some of the chaos, including one situation where a moviegoer was thrown out of a theater for holding a live chicken.

Cinema United, a trade organization representing theaters across the world, has issued a memo of guidelines that include “pre-show announcements” reminding audience members that this is unacceptable. The memo also suggests that if things get out of hand, theaters can call local authorities.

UK-based theatre chain Cineworld posted about the incidents on Instagram by saying, “clapping, cheering, and shouting ‘I AM STEVE’ is absolutely encouraged.” The company added, “Don’t go full Creeper. No throwing, no mess, and no filming the screen! (That’s piracy, folks.).”

Although the film is rated PG, some theaters have even started requiring a parent or guardian to attend movie screenings with minors.

Why this movie? A Minecraft Movie has a lot of nods to the video game it’s based on, and those nods are getting fans excited. One particular scene has a baby zombie falling onto the back of a chicken, making a “chicken jockey,” which is a reference to a rare occurrence in the game. After fans started posting their messy reactions to that scene on TikTok, the trend became more common.

celebrate chicken jockey responsibly #AMinecraftMovie pic.twitter.com/1SlTKx9WAC

— IMAX (@IMAX) April 11, 2025

However, being excited about a reference in a movie is still no excuse to trash the theater or to make any kind of deliberate mess. Movie theater workers still have to pick up all that trash, and that’s just making their jobs a lot harder.

So go see the movie and have fun…but keep the fun good and clean…literally. And if you unintentionally make a mess around your seat, try to clean up after yourself.

Check back with AllEars again soon for more.