Explaining 'chicken jockey' and other memes from 'Minecraft Movie'

As a society, we yearn for the mines.

Dubbed the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" for Generations Z and Alpha, "A Minecraft Movie" has become a beacon for audience participation with moviegoers enthusiastically reacting to viral moments like "chicken jockey" while in the theater.

From throwing popcorn to bringing in props ranging from toilet paper to live chickens, audiences have become so rambunctious that theaters have issued warnings before playing the movie in hopes of curbing the chaos.

In its first weekend, "A Minecraft Movie" grossed $157 million in domestic box office sales, breaking the record for the biggest three-day opening for a movie based on a video game. The movie's popularity doesn't stop at the border: it's already reached over $550 million in global box office sales in its first two weeks.

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is one of the bestselling video games of all time, with over 300 million units sold globally as of 2023. Despite being released in 2011, it maintains a steady active player base with over 204 million monthly active players in December 2024.

Minecraft is a video game in the sandbox genre, meaning players have freedom to create structures, manipulate the environment and explore the world. Along with being a canvas for creativity, it offers a survival mode with players having to defend themselves and their creations from in-game enemies like zombies and creepers.

The movie pays homage to many of the aspects players love in the game. From the thrill of finding diamonds in the mines to taming one's first wolf, it leaves audiences with the message that one can "make the real world your overworld" by applying in-game skills to one's real life.

Key moments in 'A Minecraft Movie'

Thanks to official movie trailers released in the latter half of 2024, fans were prepped for certain moments in the movie. Aside from chicken jockey, fans have been saying the lines from scenes aloud as they appear on screen or simply cheering and applauding as they happen. Here are some of the most notable:

'As a child, I yearned for the mines'

The movie opens with a child standing in front of a mineshaft with some gear, looking at a sign that says "Absolutely no children allowed." A miner then yells at him to leave as Jack Black, who plays Steve, narrates, "As a child, I yearned for the mines." An ongoing internet joke is that abolishing child labor helped encourage the popularity of Minecraft because "children yearn for the mines."

'Flint and steel'

In the movie, Steve strikes flint on steel while proclaiming, "flint and steel!" In the game, as well as in real life, striking flint on steel can start a fire. In the game, it can also ignite a portal into the Nether ‒ a hell-esque dimension full of lava and enemies ‒ which is what happens to Steve.

'I am Steve'

In the first teaser released for the movie, Steve dramatically introduces himself by saying, "I... am Steve." Steve is one of the default player skins available for players to choose in the game.

'Is he some kind of king? No, that's a legend'

As a pig with a crown on its head walks by in the movie, Henry, played by Sebastian Eugene Hansen, asks Steve, "Is he some kind of king?" Steve replies, "No, that's a legend." The crowned pig is a reference to a popular Minecraft YouTuber known as "Technoblade," who died of cancer in 2022.

'Chicken jockey'

In the movie, Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison, played by Jason Momoa, faces a chicken in a boxing ring. A crate above the chicken opens, and a baby zombie hops on. Steve then proclaims, "Chicken jockey!" In the game, a chicken jockey is a very rare occurrence when certain baby creatures, including a zombie, rides a chicken and gains increased powers.