The long awaited “A Minecraft Movie,” an adaptation of the popular video game Minecraft, hit cinemas April 4 and has been taking the world by storm. The movie has already surpassed $550 million worldwide after a big domestic opening box office of $162.75 million. This is the biggest opening weekend of the year and the largest video game movie opening weekend of all time.
The movie follows a group of people who get transported to the Overworld, the cubic world of the Minecraft game. They must work together with the help of a master builder, Steve (Jack Black), in order to return home while facing the dangerous challenges of the environment and the treacherous monsters that spawn at night.
Despite pretty mediocre critics reviews, this movie has taken over the internet. The film includes several jokes and references to the original game that have gone viral on TikTok.
Specific lines from the movie has generated hectic reactions among fans in movie theaters, the most infamous being “chicken jockey.” There is a moment in the film where a character must combat a baby zombie riding a chicken, a monster that is extremely rare to spawn in the actual game, which has prompted young theater goers to shout along, throw popcorn and give standing ovations at this moment along with a couple other game references throughout the film.
While some people have complained about this behavior being very disruptive, with even some instances of cops being called to theaters to calm people down, I honestly think this could be a good thing for movie theaters. Of course, if you’re going to go see this movie, you should be prepared for the craziness and be ready to embrace it, and it might not be a theater experience some people are looking for. However, movie theaters have been struggling significantly in recent years, seeing empty theaters even for big budget Disney movies like “Snow White.” Having a movie that encourages people to go see it in theaters, no matter the intent, is a powerful thing.
The distinctive viewing experience of fans seeing “A Minecraft Movie” in theaters and getting to collectively react to these iconic moments gives people a “reason” to seek out the theater experience. This could get people excited about movie theaters again and maybe improve the theater attendance of future movies to come.
I think it could be helpful to implement screenings that are specifically “calm” in case people don’t want a crazy theater experience or may be worried about bringing younger kids to a hectic screening, similar to how grocery stores are implementing low stimulation days in order to better accommodate people with sensory sensitivities.
However, this new theater-going culture, while a bit unorthodox, could be a big player in reviving movie theaters. This distinctive theater experience was only able to come about thanks to who the filmmakers made the film for.
“A Minecraft Movie” managed to become so successful because it really leaned into the Minecraft community as its audience, making jokes and references deeply rooted into the fanbase. So, people who love playing the game and grew up playing it feel like the movie was made for them.
Although it is pretty universally agreed that this isn’t actually a “good” movie, theater goers have such fun celebrating the Minecraft community through the movie that the enjoyment ends up mattering more than the actual quality of the film. By making the movie as an homage to the game and its fans, people have been able to connect with it, and through posting about it on social media, it has become an internet sensation.
This means that the love and enjoyment of the film goes past just the watching experience; it becomes a collective and universal experience shared through hundreds of online videos. Again, this film is not a cinematic experience, but it proves that maybe film isn’t just about being cinematic, but more about the fun you have along the way.
