Rabid Reactions to Minecraft Are Forcing Theaters to Take Action

Just when you thought the $163 million opening weekend for A Minecraft Movie was the biggest surprise of the weekend, turns out it might also be the film that forces theaters to do their jobs.

Over the weekend, several videos went viral of audiences loudly and disruptively reacting to several moments in the movie, all while filming it on their phones. In one case, the police even had to be called. The internet loves a good viral trend, though, and as more and more people try to copy and participate in similar behavior, some theaters have begun to issue warnings about Minecraft screenings.

“To ensure everyone has the best possible cinema experience, we’re increasing our monitoring of screens during performances,” a spokesperson for Reel Cinema in Farham, England told the Daily Echo. “Disruptive behavior, including taking part in TikTok trends, before, during, or after a screening will not be tolerated. Anyone causing disruption will be asked to leave, and where necessary, the police will be called.”

A few others followed suit. “We’ve been informed of reports of an online trend that includes making excessive noise during A Minecraft Movie,” a theater in Glasgow, Scotland posted. “We would like to remind everyone to please be respectful to those around them by not making noise nor being on their phones during any movie. Failure to do so may result in ejection from the cinema.”

We have many, many thoughts here, as we’re sure you do too. The first is that theaters actually getting angry at this is refreshing. So often these days, people disrespect their fellow filmgoers at the movie theater by using their phones during the film or talking loudly. Then, if you complain, often the theater will do nothing. So, to see any push back against this is a good thing. Especially in the fight against privacy. Remember when filming the movie screen was considered sacrilegious?

On the other hand, it’s more than plausible to say the success in Minecraft is partially a result of this behavior. That some people are going to see Minecraft specifically for this loud, rambunctious TikTok-driven response, and if that gets them into the theaters, it’s a net positive for the industry. But there has to be a balance. If a family just wants to go see Minecraft, they should not have to worry about people pulling out their phones and disturbing their experience. Maybe there needs to be specific screenings where this is encouraged, like a Wicked singalong?

Which, actually, is already happening. The BBC reports that UK theater chain Cineworld is already jumping on that train. “To make sure everyone has a blast, we ask that all cinemagoers respect cinema etiquette,” the statement reads. “For fans wanting to whoop, yelp and clap their way through this block-busting adventure, we have created special Chicken Jockey 4DX screenings at Cineworld cinemas nationwide.”

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if more theaters will issue similar warnings or how/if they will be enforced. We imagine most theaters will differ to the audience and just be happy to have butts in seats, no matter what they’re doing. It’s a slippery slope, though, and one that needs to be monitored.

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