Movie theaters erupt in chaos as part of 'Minecraft' social media trend

(WFLA/WROC/WPIX) -- Rowdy crowds of young people have been disrupting screenings of the newly released "A Minecraft Movie" around the country as they take part in the so-called "chicken jockey" trend.

Based on the wildly popular video game, the movie hit theaters last week and racked up $157 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada during its opening weekend, delivering Hollywood a much needed box office hit.

Some of that success can be attributed to crowds of young people who saw online "meme potential" in a certain scene featured in the trailer, as NBC News reports. Videos have emerged from inside theaters across the U.S. showing moviegoers erupting into a frenzy when Jack Black, as Steve, yells the words "chicken jockey" in a boxing ring.

In Minecraft, "chicken jockey" is the phrase used to describe an adorable but formidable enemy: a baby zombie that rides a chicken into battle, like a horse.

The videos taken from inside theaters show crowds exploding into cheers, screams and chaos, throwing popcorn, climbing chairs and shouting the phrase along with Jack Black.

In response to audiences' behavior, a movie theater in New Jersey banned children from Minecraft Movie screenings without an adult present. Staff at the Township Theatre in Washington Township took to Facebook to "make all parents aware of an unfortunate situation."

"Large groups of unsupervised boys engaged in completely unacceptable behavior, including vandalism," theater staff wrote. "If your son was at Township Theatre last night, we strongly encourage you to have a conversation with him about his behavior."

However, some theaters are choosing to embrace the chaos and creativity at the heart of the blockbuster film.

British cinema company Cineworld encouraged fans to "whoop, yelp, clap, shout Chicken Jockey, and dress up as their favorite Minecraft characters" in certain special screenings, a move that evokes the spirit of theater-sanctioned crowd participation in films like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

Nexstar reached out to AMC, Regal and Cinemark about the "chicken jockey" trend, but didn't hear back by publication time.