‘Disruptive' Minecraft movie trend ‘causing distress to autistic children'
The viral 'chicken jockey' trend in which cinema-goers watching the new Minecraft film erupt into thunderous celebration, has been condemned for causing disruption and 'distressing' autistic children.
TikTok users have shared footage of young people loudly cheering, clapping and throwing popcorn, as US actor Jack Black's character in A Minecraft Movie shouts 'chicken jockey'.
This refers to a baby zombie riding a chicken which is considered ultra-rare in the video game.
The global trend has been warmly received by many, including the film's creators. Director Jared Hess told Entertainment Weekly the jubilant reaction to his film is 'bananas' and 'way too fun'.
However, some have raised concerns the trend is disruptive.
UK cinemas such as Reel Cinema in Fareham, Hampshire and the Electric Picture House in Cannock, Staffordshire, have issued warnings to cinema-goers.
In a Facebook post, Reel Cinema said it would be 'increasing our monitoring of screens during performances', adding that 'disruptive behaviour' such as taking part in the trend would not be tolerated, and they would consider calling the police if necessary.
The Electric Picture House posted on Facebook that customers under 18 watching any showing of the film after 6.30pm must be accompanied by an adult.
'Any behaviour such as shouting, throwing popcorn, talking, filming the screen and each other during the film, will not be tolerated. CCTV is in use and audience disturbances are not acceptable,' it said.
Charities supporting autistic people have said that the cheering and screaming can result in 'total sensory overwhelm'.
Jolanta Lasota, chief executive of charity Ambitious About Autism, said the viral trend 'appears to be creating unnecessary anxiety and upset for some autistic fans of the film'.
She said: 'Many autistic people are sensitive to loud noises or unexpected sounds, which can lead to discomfort and even total sensory overwhelm.
'This World Autism Acceptance Month and beyond, we encourage the public to be understanding of the experiences of autistic children and young people and be mindful of how certain actions can affect them.
'Concerned autistic young people and parents may want to research autism-friendly screenings of the film, which are offered by many cinemas.'
Christine Flintoft-Smith, head of autism accreditation and projects at the National Autistic Society, said the trend can be 'scary and distressing' for autistic people.
'Everyone should be able to enjoy going to the cinema, but for some autistic children and their families it can already be a challenging experience, due to busy crowds, loud noises and unfamiliar environments,' she said.
'Autistic people deserve to feel the joy of going to the cinema and watching a film all together, just like everyone else.
'It's important that the public remember that they're not the only ones in the cinema, and that being loud, disruptive or unpredictable might not just be annoying for others, but scary and distressing.'
One widely shared TikTok video from a concerned mother of an autistic child showed her son with his head down and sitting on the floor, and a caption warning members of the public to be mindful of people with special needs.
She said some people at the cinema were shouting and throwing sweets at her 10-year-old son, who also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which she described as 'absolutely revolting behaviour'.
She said her child experienced meltdowns and struggled to regulate his emotions after watching the film, and urged those considering taking part in the trend to 'please think again'.
Other videos show the aftermath of the trend, with popcorn on the floor and empty drinking cups.
'This is what minimum wage cinema workers have to clean up. With rubbish little sweeps like this by the way,' one TikTok user said, referencing a picture of a black dustpan and brush.
The trend also caused debate in the US, where Township Theatre in Washington, New Jersey, said in a post on Facebook that it was banning unaccompanied children from seeing the film after 'vandalism' during a viewing last Friday.
One US video showing a group of young people removing their t-shirts and swinging them in the air while shouting and cheering has been viewed more than 24.1 million times.
A video from a cinema-goer in Ohio, which has more than 2.4 million views, shows him taking a live chicken into the screening and sitting on his friend's shoulders while holding the bird.
TikTok has put a warning on the video, saying: 'Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt.'
The film was released in cinemas on April 4 and stars Aquaman's Jason Momoa and The White Lotus's Jennifer Coolidge.
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