A new policy took effect Tuesday night at a Bergen County movie theatre, where kids have been getting rowdy during “A Minecraft Movie.” From now on, young people who want to see the movie will have to be accompanied by an adult, due in large part to a TikTok trend about a “chicken jockey” that was causing chaos among moviegoers. NBC New York’s Checkey Beckford reports.
A movie theater in a New Jersey town is restricting children from seeing the most popular movie of the year after an "unacceptable" incident during a recent screening.
The Township Theater in Bergen County's Washington Township announced Monday that children will not be admitted to any screenings for "A Minecraft Movie" without being accompanied by an adult.
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WATCH HERE"Any minors wishing to see The Minecraft Movie MUST be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult," the movie theater wrote on Facebook. "Unaccompanied groups of boys will not be admitted."
Theater officials said the decision was reached after a rowdy group of unsupervised children, believed to be from nearby Waldwick, vandalized and otherwise disrupted a Sunday night showing of the Jack Black flick. Multiple other moviegoers who were there with families issued complaints about the group's inappropriate behavior, according to the theater.
"They broke seats, they squirted lotion around, I don't know why. They made a horrific mess," said Dave Rose, who owns the theater with his wife, Laura. "We got a call from a mom complaining to us that her experience was very bad with her son."
The theater also said it had obtained footage of the incident, and encouraged parents to talk to their children regarding the matter.
"Some of the kids who were at the theater that night posted on TikTok filming themselves being crazy," said Laura Rose.
U.S. & World
Why are kids in theaters going wild over a 'Minecraft' scene? Blame TikTok
So what is causing young people to act out and create disruptions amid "Minecraft" showings? It has a bit to do with TikTok and internet culture.
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SIGN UP Much of the uproar centers around a particular scene featuring a baby zombie riding a chicken, known to Minecraft fans as a "chicken jockey."
Videos posted on social media show audience members getting out of their seats, cheering, yelling, spilling drinks, throwing popcorn and other food around after Black's character — Steve, the playable character in the video game — announces Jason Mamoa's character will be facing off against one in what appears to be a boxing ring.
As Mamoa stands in the ring in the opposite corner of a chicken, a box appears above the cube-like bird. Falling from that box is a child zombie, which sits on the chicken and smiles before turning angry and charging at Mamoa. That's when Black's character simply says "chicken jockey" — which causes the young audience members to go wild, videos show.
Video from Seaford Cinemas on Long Island, courtesy of @salesmenpod, showed what some of the crowds have looked like — and then police coming in afterward to escort some of the moviegoers from the cinema:
@salesmenpod This whole night was surreal and one of the most unforgettable movie experiences I’ve ever had. . . #minecraft #movie #minecraftmovie #chicken #jockey #chickenjockey #fyp #viral #reaction #funny #meme #moviereview #featureme #clips #comedy #video #videogames #games #game ♬ original sound - Salesmen: After Hours
Part of why the scene has blown up so much boils down to internet/meme culture, with videos of such frenzied attendees going viral on TikTok, causing more people to want to go and do the same.
