A Minecraft Movie’ Audiences Are Officially Out Of Control As Theaters Issue Warnings

It’s all well and good when kids are clapping and cheering and yelling out memes during certain moments in A Minecraft Movie. But now things are getting to the point where lines are being crossed, and this is a lot more than kids just enjoying something aimed at them somewhat loudly in a theater.

Things have gotten out of hand with (mainly) teens doing things like using enormous bags of popcorn like confetti, slinging it all around theaters during specific moments (often the “chicken jockey” scene). If you think that sounds bad, watch it in action:

This has resulted in everything from warning signs at theaters telling people not to throw popcorn or drinks (which the poor theater staff will have to clean up) or even (unconfirmed) reports of police being called to screenings. Sometimes the theaters are such a mess that the screening afterward has to be cancelled due to the extensive cleaning needed, which of course, is lost ticket sales and potential mass refunds.

Does Warner Bros. care? They haven’t issued a statement on all this craziness, as they are no doubt more than satisfied with the end result, over $300 million in initial box office receipts, the most ever for a video game adaptation, and the movie is well on its way to a billion dollars with a sequel no doubt in tow. And for a second film, there are plenty more untapped meme moments that may create similar crazy situations.

It’s hard to even compare this to another theatrical experience. Some have mentioned Avengers Endgame with big audience cheers when Captain America gets Thor’s hammer and things like that, but this is not really even close, several orders of magnitude above that. Again, vocal excitement for a movie like this may be understandable or even fun. But there’s a time when that practically extends into property damage and disturbing the peace, and some screenings are stepping over it.