One particular scene involving a chicken jockey from A Minecraft Movie is going viral and even causing legal trouble in movie theaters, begging the question of what is driving this phenomenon. Overall, A Minecraft Movie has become somewhat of a sensation in its own right. The events of A Minecraft Movie‘s ending aside, the film has become one of the biggest viral spectacles of 2025, akin to the likes of Morbius or Madame Web when concerning how many memes it has spawned. This has partly been driven by A Minecraft Movie‘s cast, led by Jack Black.

Since the film’s first trailers were released, Black’s performance as Steve has garnered attention. Combined with many not holding the belief that the film was going to be of a high standard, which A Minecraft Movie‘s mixed reviews seem to emulate, and seeing it as a result of this, Black’s meme-worthy performance has allowed the project to become a surprise hit of 2025. A Minecraft Movie‘s strong box office numbers typify this, aided by the viral nature of the theater-going experience. Since A Minecraft Movie‘s release, one scene has caused quite a stir: the now-infamous chicken jockey moment.

What A Chicken Jockey Is In The Minecraft Game

One Of The Game’s Many Recognizable Mobs

Firstly, it is worth exploring exactly what a chicken jockey is in the original Minecraft game. Naturally, the Easter eggs in A Minecraft Movie are taken directly from the game, which has a sandbox, creative format with little character or story work. In the game, players are unleashed on the Overworld, the main setting of A Minecraft Movie, where they can craft anything they want, build cities, and mine for rare materials to their heart’s content. At night, however, several “mobs” hinder the player, from bow-and-arrow-wielding skeletons to slow-moving zombies and exploding creepers.

A variant of the zombie mob in Minecraft is a baby zombie, which is exactly what the name suggests. A baby zombie only has a 5% chance of spawning, with a further variant of this – the famed chicken jockey – having an even smaller chance of materializing at 0.25%. A chicken jockey is simply a baby zombie who spawns riding a chicken and, despite its rarity, is simply another of the monsters that players face off against in Minecraft. Regardless, the chicken jockey has become a worldwide viral meme from A Minecraft Movie.

What Happens In A Minecraft Movie’s Chicken Jockey Scene

The Scene Is Just As Seemingly Inconsequential As The Mob Itself

Now it is worth exploring how the chicken jockey plays into A Minecraft Movie. Surprisingly, given the immense viral nature of the movie monster, A Minecraft Movie‘s chicken jockey scene is over as quickly as it begins. At one point, Jason Momoa’s character, Garrett, is forced into a fighting ring against several mobs taken from the source material. A chicken appears in front of him, prompting Garrett to ask Steve if they expect him to fight the animal. However, a box appears above the chicken and releases a baby zombie, thus creating one of A Minecraft Movie‘s most viral moments.

As the baby zombie sits atop the chicken, Jack Black’s Steve exclaims “Chicken jockey!” Garrett is then thrown against the side of the ring by the chicken jockey, and the scene ends. In many ways, this scene does not feel like one that would cause as big a stir as it has, linking to the somewhat normal nature of a chicken jockey to Minecraft players. Evidently, though, general audiences of A Minecraft Movie had other ideas.

Why Audiences Are Reacting So Wildly To The Chicken Jockey Scene

Chicken Jockey Is The Crown Jewel Of Meme-Worthy Scenes

As I have already alluded to, A Minecraft Movie has become one of those once-in-a-blue-moon movies that capture the attention of the online community. The film has held this тιтle since marketing began, with several moments being memed by fans online for no real discernible reason. Due to the endless amounts of memes that were created in the run-up to the film’s release, A Minecraft Movie has become an event regarding the theater-going experience. Audiences are losing their minds when seeing these scenes play out, with the chicken jockey scene leading the way.

One of the main commonalities between the many viral memes of A Minecraft Movie is Jack Black’s tendency to simply say buzzwords from the source material in differing tones. Black’s “I am Steve!” declaration is one of these moments, given that the player-character in the game has that name. Beyond that, Black’s endless list of calling out items, characters, or areas from the game has become viral, spawning audience reactions in the theater. Some of these objects include a crafting table, flint and steel, the Nether, villagers, or, indeed, a chicken jockey.

Among all of these moments, the chicken jockey declaration from Black received the most attention online. As a result, the same scene is receiving the most amount of attention from audiences in theaters. Viral videos have been posted since A Minecraft Movie‘s release, showcasing audiences familiar with the memes going crazy upon the reveal of the chicken jockey and Black’s line. These videos showcase Avengers-level cheering, audience members jumping up and down, and popcorn flying through the air, truly solidifying the chicken jockey as A Minecraft Movie‘s biggest viral phenomenon.

The Chicken Jockey Scene Has Led To People Being Kicked Out Of Theaters

The Viral Scene Has Caused Legal Trouble

To further emphasize just how big the reactions have been to A Minecraft Movie‘s chicken jockey scene, some legal action has been taken. One specific viral video showcases the reaction in one theater, with screaming audiences and movie theater snacks being launched at the mention of the chicken jockey. The video then shows the aftermath, with several people being escorted out of the theater by police; the chicken jockey meme is reaching untold levels of reaction that have ruined theater experiences enough to get the law involved.

Since this video surfaced, the theater chain – located in New Jersey – had to take action against the overwhelming reactions that A Minecraft Movie is garnering among audiences familiar with the viral moments. As reported by NBC New York, the movie theater that housed the viral video of people being escorted out by police has since placed a ban on children or large groups of teenagers viewing A Minecraft Movie. Now, at this theater specifically, only children accompanied by an adult will be permitted admittance to the film as a response to the chicken jockey-induced near-riot that took place.

Outside of the US, other theater chains have followed suit and issued warnings for screenings of A Minecraft Movie. The Guardian reports that several theater locations in the UK have taken a zero-tolerance approach to these screenings, insisting that if anyone indulges in the antisocial behavior seen online in response to the chicken jockey scene, screenings of A Minecraft Movie will be canceled. Above anything else, this sums up just how wide-reaching the viral chicken jockey scene has become.

The Chicken Jockey Scene Is Helping Drive A Minecraft Movie’s Huge Success

Memes Equal Exposure & Exposure Equals Strong Box Office Performance

For every amount of trouble the chicken jockey scene from A Minecraft Movie has caused, it has sparked success tenfold. The film’s memes and viral moments are perhaps the leading cause of why audiences are seeing A Minecraft Movie, allowing its box office to cross a Jack Black milestone, become one of Warner Bros.’ highest-ever openers, and likely earn enough money to justify A Minecraft Movie 2. Moreover, A Minecraft Movie‘s chicken jockey scene is causing merchandising spikes.

The cinema chain Cinemark is selling a chicken jockey popcorn bucket that functions as a drink holder too. These objects have been selling out, even reselling at obscene prices on online sellers like eBay. This, combined with McDonald’s toys and Lego sets, proves just how insane the hype has reached for A Minecraft Movie‘s chicken jockey scene. More so than any of A Minecraft Movie‘s other viral moments, the chicken jockey phenomenon is creating commotion worldwide, though Warner Bros. will surely not be complaining after the film’s over $300 million opening weekend.