Hello World!
I was in high school when Mojang first released Minecraft 1.0 and spent a lot of time in the computer lab playing on a shared server with my friends and classmates. I never thought we were experiencing a milestone in the videogame industry, we were just adolescents having fun (albeit we should have been doing schoolwork). It has since become the greatest selling videogame of all time, with over 300 million copies sold. 14 years later we get “A Minecraft Movie”, starring Jack Black and produced by Warner Bros. Studios. It has become a box office success, grossing 550 million dollars globally after ten days in theaters. The movie is aimed at a younger audience, a family friendly flick meant to capture the fun and adventure of the original videogame. Though the turnout has been a great success, fans in theaters have shown a level of excitement bordering on the absurd.
It all started with a single movie scene, where Jack Black utters the line “Chicken Jockey”, sending theater viewers into a screaming frenzy, flashing phone lights, throwing popcorn, and in one theater; lifting an actual live chicken into the air snuck in by a viewer. What’s a “Chicken Jockey”? A chicken jockey is a Minecraft term used to describe a baby zombie riding a chicken. Teenagers have picked up on this viral trend across the country, recording on Tiktok during screenings, and picking up the battlecry the moment Jack Black utters the now famous line. It’s gotten so bad, some theaters now require minors to bring a responsible adult with them if they want to watch the movie.
Here’s a link to the video news coverage by ABC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGH885EcmKs
The overwhelming opinion seems to be that it's a harmless trend, though a lot of people online show sympathy for theater employees, who have to clean up the mess that’s being made.
One commentator said it was the best theater experience of their life:
Another said screaming the line “Chicken Jockey” in unison isn’t bad, but kids need to calm down with the popcorn throwing:
Warner Bros. has decided to tackle the social media trend and help at least one theater in Century City, where Jack Black made a surprise appearance, pleading to the audience not to participate in the trend. Needless to say, fans cheered for Jack Black when they saw him at their local theater.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MDm1ctGmIus
A video of his appearance has been uploaded on social media, including Youtube, where one commentator called Jack Black a national treasure:
Other than sending Jack Black for PR, neither Warner Bros. nor Mojang appear to have explicitly commented on the trend through social media. Though the official Minecraft twitter has posted a couple of pictures of chicken jockeys on social media.
https://x.com/Minecraft/status/1910726144170611160
These pictures are silly, and posted as a sort of “wink” to their followers that they’re aware of the trend, while remaining cryptic, lacking an actual comment on the trend itself. They seem to be aware that the whole situation is absurd, and will blow over. Besides, Warner Bros seem to hold a bigger responsibility in this case (being in charge of the movie itself).
The minecraft twitter following is significant, having 7.6 million followers. They have great content and updates, and are very consistent. I think they could do a better job engaging with their fans in the comment section though, where they seem to be lacking in conversation. And though their posts are frequently funny and full of memes that engage the audience, I think they’re game update posts sound a little too much like a billboard. If I was the brand manager, I would comment on as many comments as I can, positive or negative, and I would tone down the corporate/salesman language of their update posts.
As for how to handle the Chicken Jockey situation: I think sending Jack Black was a solid move. The movie studios are toeing the line between preventing a mess at the theaters (theaters that are working with you to present your movie) while allowing adolescents to engage in a fun movie experience. You don’t want to be the movie studios who told kids not to have fun at a family friendly movie. Sending Jack Black himself keeps things light and fun, while also sending the message that leaving a mess at the theaters is not a good idea, and unfair for the employees who work there. I’ve learned that PR is about problem solving, especially when you’re caught between a rock and a hard place. If people are enjoying your product, but that enjoyment is having a negative effect, how do you maintain the enjoyment of the product while preventing the negative effect? Not only does one have to come up with a solution, but according to real-time marketing, you have to come up with a solution fast! Fast like a Chicken Jockey!
That’s all, folks!
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