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What’s the big deal with chicken jockeys?

You might be asking this question after seeing A Minecraft Movie. Or maybe you’ve seen some of the theater footage on social media where moviegoers erupt in cheers and applause as Jack Black says the line. Some take it a step further, throwing food, jumping, and running through the aisles.

Some moviegoers have even noted that the theater reactions to chicken jockey rivals the reaction audiences had when Captain America held Mjolnir during Avengers: Endgame. Having been to three screenings of the movie this past weekend, I can assure you that’s the case. Some screenings have been so wild that managers have had to kick people out of the theater, and in some cases call the police.

If you’re feeling old or out of touch, let me explain what this is all about. 

What is a chicken jockey?

A chicken Jockey is a mob (enemy creature) from the video game Minecraft. It’s a small creature riding a chicken. The movie featured a baby zombie, but a chicken jockey can also be a baby zombified piglin, a baby husk, or a baby zombie villager. As long as it’s a tiny enemy mob riding a chicken, it’s a chicken jockey.

Is chicken jockey important to Minecraft?

People are cheering for the appearance of the chicken jockey as if it was a big character cameo in a Marvel film. This might lead you believe that chicken jockeys are a big deal. So, are chicken jockeys important?

No, not at all. If you were to list the most iconic mobs in Minecraft, chicken jockey probably wouldn’t make the top ten. Other enemy mobs like creepers, zombies, and endermen are far more iconic. Yet their onscreen introductions didn’t get the big applause the chicken jockey scene got. Why is that?

Why are people losing their minds over the chicken jockey scene?

In a word, it’s Gen Z being irreverent. The chicken jockey line was in the trailer, and thanks to TikTok it became somewhat a meme before the release of the film. It’s always hard to explain how something became a meme, but part of it has to do with the prominence of the line in the trailer, and the way Jack Black pours his soul into the delivery.

Plus, shouting chicken jockey is just fun. At least that’s what the Gen Z kids told me after the screening.

Thanks to viral videos, things have grown like a snowball rolling down a hill. Now shouting ‘chicken jockey’ is a ritual for people who see Minecraft in theaters. Some theaters seem to be embracing it, while others are trying to keep the reactions from getting out of control.  

A Minecraft Movie has become Gen Z’s Rocky Horror Picture Show. Warner Bros. did not set out to make a call-and-response audience participation film, but that’s exactly what it’s become.

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