What is chicken jockey? Minecraft meme explained as fans go crazy over weird moment in new film

Without giving away spoilers, there is a moment in the film where a baby zombie falls onto the back of a chicken, which sparks chaos in theatres - particularly in the USA.

It comes at the moment where Jack Black’s character, Steve, yells “Chicken jockey!” and has become a viral meme on social media. It’s caught everyone by surprise, including director Jared Hess.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said: “It's been so bananas - it’s been way too fun. People are sending me these really hilarious speeches that a lot of teenagers are giving right before the movie.

“It's so hysterical, man. I'm staying up way too late.”

So where exactly did this chicken jockey meme come from, and how are fans reacting to it in the cinemas?

The Minecraft movie is, as many people will know, based on the popular sandbox video game, where you can do pretty much anything you can imagine using the various blocks, gems and raw materials in the world. Some things, like coal, iron and even diamonds, are fairly common in the game.

But some items - and interactions - are far rarer, chief among these is a baby zombie that can be seen riding a chicken; hence the name, chicken jockey.

It’s an easter egg that was put in the movie for die-hard fans of the game, but has seen cinemagoers celebrating the moment like they just won the World Cup, with drinks and popcorn going flying as they jump up and cheer.

This has come to the frustration of cinema bosses - and the poor employees who have to clean up the mess after every screening. In fact, Cineworld in Witney has started to take action against it.

A spokesperson said: “Any form of antisocial behaviour, especially anything that may disturb other guests such as loud screaming, clapping and shouting will not be tolerated. Anyone who is found to be acting in this manner will be removed from the screening and not entitled to a refund.”

As a gamer myself, I’d hardly consider the chicken jockey easter egg to be such a major cinematic breakthrough. If they showed the guys who managed to get a working version of the original Doom PC game into Minecraft instead? Then you have my undivided attention.

Despite a varied reception from critics, the Minecraft movie has been a resounding commercial success, with a $163m opening weekend in the USA, and a further $150m worldwide.