Jack Black says hold the popcorn: 'Minecraft' fans get a message about messy 'chicken jockey' trend

Jack Black delivers the viral “chicken jockey” enactment successful “A Minecraft Movie,” but helium doesn’t motion disconnected connected the chaotic instrumentality behaviour surrounding it successful theaters and connected societal media.

The comedian and “School of Rock” prima amazed moviegoers astatine a showing of “Minecraft” implicit the play and encouraged them to beryllium connected their champion behavior, according to video shared Sunday by the Hollywood Handle. Disguising his dependable arsenic that of a theatre spokesperson, Black tin beryllium heard telling fans “for today’s presumption of ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ delight nary throwing popped corn.”

“And besides nary lapis lazuli. And perfectly no...,” helium continues his connection before, screaming, “chicken jockeys!”

In the video, Black introduces himself to the radical of young, excited moviegoers. “I americium Steve,” helium tells them, referencing his quality successful Warner Bros.’ movie adaptation of the fashionable video crippled franchise. Black besides shows disconnected his prop pickax and runs crossed the theatre hyping up fans earlier the showing starts.

So what was the woody with his popcorn disclaimer?

The “Kung Fu Panda” prima encouraged assemblage members to restrain themselves aft respective videos showed “Minecraft” viewers astatine assorted showings throwing objects, screaming and loudly cheering during a viral scene. In the film, which premiered earlier this month, Black and Jason Momoa’s characters find themselves successful the mediate of a boxing ring. Their foe, successful existent “Minecraft” fashion, is simply a blocky babe zombie riding a cubist chicken: a “chicken jockey,” arsenic Black’s Steve decently notes.

Since its instauration much than a decennary ago, the “Minecraft” franchise has spawned countless memes among fans and the uncommon operation of a chickenhearted and a zombie successful the crippled is among those wrong jokes. The movie’s motion to that spot of instrumentality lore lone took the meme to the adjacent level.

In respective viral societal media videos, moviegoers interruption retired into chaos during the “chicken jockey” scene: They flash their telephone lights, motorboat their popcorn and drinks toward the surface and shriek passim the combat sequence. In 1 video, a masked assemblage subordinate tin beryllium seen holding a unrecorded chickenhearted arsenic they beryllium atop different moviegoer’s shoulders.

As a effect of the raucous crowds, theatre workers — often near to woody with the messy aftermath — are besides tasked with encouraging moviegoers to debar throwing objects astatine the screen. Police officials person been recruited to escort immoderate assemblage members retired for their behavior. Beyond the chaos of “chicken jockey,” immoderate “Minecraft” viewers person besides personalized their showings with preshow speeches.

“It’s been mode excessively fun,” manager Jared Hess told Entertainment Weekly. Hess, who directed Black successful “Nacho Libre” and broke retired with “Napoleon Dynamite,” said helium didn’t spot the harm successful the inclination and finds it comic “that cops are getting called for popcorn.”

“I’m conscionable gladsome radical are making memories with their friends and families,” helium said.

On its opening weekend, “A Minecraft Movie” earned a record-breaking $157-million home and $144-million overseas. A wide victor amid Hollywood’s continued propulsion for video crippled adaptations, the action-comedy bested “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” for the highest-performing video crippled movie adaptation.

In her review, Times professional Amy Nicholson wrote that “A Minecraft Movie” was “essentially a meathead mentation of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ ” The movie stars Black, Momoa, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks.