On April 4, “A Minecraft Movie” came out in theaters, making over $160 million on the domestic opening weekend, wrecking box office expectations which was $100 million and breaking the largest video game adaptation domestically opening weekend record of $146.6 million which was the “Super Mario Bros. Movie”. Jack Black, who plays the character “Steve,” is one of the main draws for audiences.
Before the movie was released, many people on social media who watched the trailer expressed disgust at the animation style, and overall little excitement about the upcoming movie. However, the week leading up to the release, audiences began to find the dialogue funny and made some of the lines into jokes. Lines like “Flint and steel”, “This, is a crafting table”, and the infamous “Chicken Jockey” became notorious.
Jack Black’s line delivery has engaged audiences across the nation because of its relation to “Minecraft”. Because of social media, audiences have anticipated the lines, often screaming, cheering and even sometimes unloading their bucket of popcorn into the air, with the “chicken jockey” essentially being the grand finale.
Unfortunately, many audience members feel that cheering for the movie is a fun and great way to end the week and while it can be, throwing food and trashing the cinema for the workers crosses the line. OHS Sophomore Blake Rezac said, “It’s pretty funny when people yell, but throwing stuff is a bit much”. It has gone far enough to the point where cinemas are kicking people out, pausing the movie, police are called and even putting up signs saying not to throw drinks and popcorn.
To parallel the new “Minecraft” movie, McDonald’s collaborated to make a meal featuring a Big Mac or nuggets, fries, drink and a collectable item, a new and special sauce, along with a digital code for a quest in the “A Minecraft Movie” world in the game. This meal is a great way to get ready for the movie and celebrate Minecraft as a cultural phenomenon.
All of this makes for a very interactive experience and a great time for many teens and children. Adversely, the shenanigans ruined the experience for people simply looking to enjoy the movie. It especially affected the cinema workers who had to clean up the mess. Of course, it is always good to get out and hang with your friends, whether that’s screaming or not, just having a good time and celebrating after a long week. But it is also very important to be respectful to theaters and those who frequent them. Junior Noah Mazirego said, “Something like bringing in a live chicken and throwing stuff is just stupid”.
As a movie version of arguably the most popular video game created, “A Minecraft Movie” has been hugely popular. However, there are disputes about whether it is truly a high-quality movie or is benefiting from the memes it has created along the way
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