The director of ‘A Minecraft movie’, Jared HESS, reacts to the furor of the meme “Chickn Jockey”, its origin in the game and the social phenomenon that has surrounded the film.
By Jacobo Antúnez April 9, 2025
‘A Minecraft movie’ has captured the attention of millions of fans, not only for their box office, but also because of the unexpected viral phenomenon that has emerged around one of the most iconic moments of the film: the famous “Chicken Jockey”. Jared HESS, the film director, has shared how this moment has left an important brand in the film experience, especially due to the audience’s response. In this article, we explore the HESS’s reaction to this meme, the origins of the “Chicken Jockey” and the social phenomenon that has surrounded the film.
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What has been the reaction of the director of ‘A Minecraft movie’ before the meme ‘Chicken Jockey’?
Jared HESS, known for his work at ‘Napoleon Dynamite’, has been receiving a constant dose of public reactions about ‘A Minecraft movie’. The director has been surprised and excited by the popularity of the meme “Chicken Jockey”. In an interview with ‘Entertainment Weekly’, HESS revealed that he has had difficulty sleeping due to the number of videos of reactions that fans have shared. “It has been so crazy,” said HESS. “People are sending very funny speeches that many teenagers give just before the movie. It’s so hilarious. I’m watching videos late.”
HESS explained that, two weeks before the premiere of the film, his own son was already saying “Chicken Jockey” as a joke among his friends from the University Campus, without knowing that he would soon become a global phenomenon. Although at first it was only a fun expression at home, it quickly extended to the movie theaters, where fans have begun to scream “Chicken Jockey” during the scene in question.
Origin of the ‘Chickn Jockey meme!’ In the ‘Minecraft’ movie
The meme “Chicken Jockey” has its roots in the popular ‘Minecraft’ video game, in which, within its vast world of blocks, zombies have the possibility of mounting chickens, which results in a comic figure known as the “Chicken Jockey”. This phenomenon within the game is presented as a rare appearance, where a zombie rises to a chicken, forming a kind of “chicken riders.”
The scene in the movie ‘A Minecraft movie’ refers to this event within the game. In one of the sequences, Jason Momoa, who plays Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, faces a chicken in a boxing ring. However, the chicken is not alone: suddenly, a zombie, reminiscent of Frankenstein, falls from heaven and gets up to chicken, making it a “chickn jockey.” This moment is acclaimed by the public, especially when Jack Black, who plays Steve, shouts “Chickn Jockey!”, Which causes a chain reaction of screams and applause, particularly among adolescents.
The meme quickly seized social networks, with hundreds of videos of reactions in which fans shout “Chickn Jockey” and throw popcorn into the air in the movie theater, creating an atmosphere full of enthusiasm and chaos. This phenomenon has become one of the most memorable moments in the film, standing out for the collective energy it has unleashed in theaters.
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What is the social phenomenon that is happening around ‘A Minecraft movie’?
The social phenomenon generated by ‘A Minecraft film’ goes beyond the meme “Chicken Jockey”. Since its premiere, fans have shown an unexpected connection with the film, creating an online community that shares their reactions, including the already famous videos of reactions in which you can see the spectators vitorizing, throwing popcorn and shouting iconic phrases of the film.
One of the most outstanding reactions was that of the teenagers, who, in certain cases, created so much emotion in the movie theaters that the police had to intervene to calm the situation. A viral video shows how the police had to escort some spectators for their excessive behaviors, such as throwing popcorn in the air and chanting the most popular lines of the characters. Despite the police intervention, HESS was fun and grateful for the public’s enthusiastic response. “It’s funny because they are literally people cheating and throwing popcorn, which seems so fun,” he said.
This type of enthusiasm, although somewhat uncontrolled, has significantly promoted the movie box. In his first weekend, ‘A Minecraft film’ raised $ 157 million in the domestic market and 301 million dollars worldwide, which made it one of the great hits of the year. HESS reflected on how this phenomenon feels similar to the projections of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, where attendees dress in characters and recite the lines of the film. “It’s like a group experience, and people are so excited to live it,” HESS explained.
Despite the controversy that some reactions in theaters have generated, the film has achieved what many believed impossible: to revive the experience of community cinema. The fact that viewers feel so connected to the film and its content, and that they share that enthusiasm in social networks, is a testimony of the power that the film has to unite audiences in a unique collective experience.
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