The Minecraft phenomenon takes over movie theaters, leading to disruptions during some screenings in the United States and Europe. The film adaptation of the famous video game, released on April 2, 2025, is generating unprecedented enthusiasm among fans, sometimes leading to disruptive behavior during screenings.
A Colossal Box Office Success Worldwide, Minecraft: The Movie has made a spectacular debut in theaters around the world, collecting no less than $313 million in just a few days. This commercial triumph builds on the immense popularity of the eponymous video game, a true cultural phenomenon with more than 200 million copies sold since its creation in 2009. The film, featuring an impressive cast including Jack Black and Jason Momoa, has managed to captivate millions of game fans thanks to a massive marketing campaign and the promise of an immersive experience faithful to the Minecraft universe.
The spectacular special effects and high-quality animation have also helped attract a wide audience beyond just fans of the game.
The "Chicken Jockey" TikTok Craze While the film is enjoying undeniable success, some screenings have been disrupted by incidents linked to a viral trend on TikTok. A scene featuring a "Chicken Jockey," an emblematic Minecraft creature combining a baby zombie riding a chicken, has triggered excessive excitement among some viewers. Videos showing fans screaming, throwing popcorn or eggs at the screen during the appearance of the "Chicken Jockey" have multiplied on the social network.
These behaviors, motivated by group dynamics and the desire to participate in a viral phenomenon, have sometimes degenerated into fights or property damage. Notable Incidents Among the most significant disruptions, the New York Times reports: "Police intervened in several New York theaters to remove particularly agitated spectators who were disrupting screenings." In the United Kingdom, teenagers threw eggs at the screen of the Reel Cinema in Farnham, causing several thousand pounds of damage. "The screen hit by projectiles will be unusable for several weeks while repairs are carried out," laments the theater manager.
In some cinemas, cleaning crews had their work cut out for them after screenings, having to pick up quantities of trash (popcorn, drinks) thrown on the floor by overexcited viewers.
Theater Owners Respond Faced with these repeated incidents, theaters have had to take measures to ensure smooth screenings: - Broadcasting announcements reminding viewers of proper conduct before the start of the film - Prohibiting unaccompanied minors from attending screenings in certain theaters - Involving law enforcement in cases of major disturbances - Strengthening surveillance in many theaters in the United Kingdom and Belgium "Any disruptive or disrespectful behavior will result in immediate expulsion from the theater," warns the Renfrew Street Cineworld on its social media.
Despite these provisions, theater operators sometimes struggle to contain the excitement of fans during high-attendance screenings, raising questions about organization and security.
Reflection of a New Cultural Era Beyond the Minecraft case, these disruptions illustrate the growing influence of social media on our modes of cultural consumption. While platforms like TikTok offer unprecedented resonance to mainstream works, they can also generate uncontrollable mimetic phenomena. Some observers see in the current situation an echo of the scenes of collective hysteria observed for other films with strong fan communities, such as One Piece: Red or the Annabelle saga.
Despite a few hiccups, Minecraft: The Movie remains an undeniable cinematic triumph, successfully capitalizing on the popularity of the original game. Its success nevertheless raises the question of finding a balance between the communicative enthusiasm of fans and respect for the proper framework of the 7th art experience.
Will A Minecraft Movie become the year’s first blockbuster to join the billion-dollar club? Well, Warner Bros. and Legendary’s PG video game adaptation is certainly on its way to the elusive $1 billion mark as ticket sales soared past $500 million after two weekends of release. So far, Minecraft has generated a massive $550.6 million globally, including $269.6 million at the international box office and $281 million domestically.
It’s already the highest grossing film of the year, ahead of Disney and Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World ($213 million internationally, $410 million globally after nine weeks on the big screen). Over the weekend, A Minecraft Movie added another $79.6 million from 76 international markets, declining 45% from its overseas debut. Top territories include the United Kingdom ($39.8 million), China ($20.3 million), Germany ($18.9 million) and Mexico ($18.7 million).
Disney and 20th Century’s vigilante thriller The Amateur started strongest among newcomers with $17.2 million from 52 territories. France was the highest-grossing market with $1.6 million, followed by the U.K. with $1.4 million and Mexico with $1.4 million. The Amateur, starring Rami Malek as a vengeful CIA analyst who is hunting down the terrorists who killed his wife, opened in North America with $15 million for a global start of $32.2 million.
Despite the presence of five new wide openers, A Minecraft Movie continued as the box office focal point with an estimated -50.4% second-frame drop, giving the overall total for all titles a 50% year-over-year raise. The King of Kings managed to distinguish itself with a mainstream voice cast (Oscar Isaac, Kenneth Branagh) and perfect Easter-season timing, debuting to an estimated $19M.
So far, Amazon/MGM’s The Amateur is performing less like a breakout and more like a programmer ala A Working Man’s $15.5M opening; its sophomore weekend hold will give us a much better picture as to the film’s ultimate reception in the market. Fellow newcomers Drop and Warfare, closing out the top five, performed in line with expectations, which had both in the $7M – $10M range.
Overall, this has been a solid sophomore frame for Minecraft; its $280.96M domestic total should shoot past the $300M mark before next weekend. It already surpassed Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ($490.69M) to become the second-highest video game adaptation of all-time in the domestic market and is more than a third of the way towards unseating reigning champ The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.359B) after only two frames.
Publicity over rowdy screenings could help raise curiosity about the picture for those still on the fence. Next weekend (weekend of April 19-20, 2025), Sinners is tracking for something in the neighborhood of $40 million, which will make for a tight race with the studio’s monster hit A Minecraft Movie for the top spot.
