The A Minecraft Movie team is leaning in – or trying to counteract – the viral rowdy cinema behaviour memes by introducing sing-along ‘Block Party Edition’ screenings.
These screenings will allow you to burst forth with your best Lava Chicken recital, while being backed up by a fellow chorus of Steves all there for the same thing. Or, you know, you can just yell out “Chicken Jockey” at the top of your lungs. The A Minecraft Movie lot wants you to “meme” along with the film.
In the words of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures: “You know the moments. You know the lines. You love the songs! Now it’s time to get loose, laugh out loud and belt out those lyrics like a true diamond-tier fan.”
If this sounds like your thing, you can book tickets for A Minecraft Movie: Block Party Edition now, with the screenings themselves happening on 2nd May. Not all cinemas are participating, though, so you will need to check your local listings.
If you aren’t sure exactly what I am talking about when I write words like “Chicken Jockey” or “Lava Chicken”, well then truth be told I am a little jealous. My children know all about these memes already, and will periodically just come out with them in the middle of supper/homework/the night and so on. They haven’t even seen the film…
Anyway, Chicken Jockey refers to a moment in the film where Jason Momoa’s Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison gets ready to fight a baby zombie riding on the back of a chicken. Jack Black’s Steve then says “Chicken Jockey”.
Now, that may not seem like much of A Moment to you or me, but a viral trend has seen some younger viewers of A Minecraft Movie going feral, screaming out loud mid-film while launching their popcorn into the air when those words are spoken. In fact, things got so chaotic, cinemas and Jack Black himself popped up asking people to dial it back.
In a clip shared on social media earlier this month, Black stood up in front of a cinema telling those present “absolutely no ‘chicken jockey'”.
“Lava Chicken”, meanwhile, is a little ditty sung in the film by Black’s Steve, about what happens when you add lava to a chicken in Minecraft (it cooks).
Earlier this month, Lava Chicken entered the UK’s official music chart, becoming the shortest ever entry in the official UK top 40. The song itself is only 34 seconds long, and you can listen along below.
A Minecraft Movie has become a massive success for all involved, and a sequel now seems all but confirmed, with director Jared Hess already chatting about what he thinks A Minecraft Movie 2’s focus will be.
“Lovely performances elevate a movie that captures Minecraft’s many bits and pieces but not its creative spirit,” reads Eurogamer’s A Minecraft Movie review.