NJ theater requires minors to be accompanied by adult to see ‘Minecraft’ movie after mess caused by viral trend
The owners of Township Theatre in Washington Township say they were left with a major mess after the Friday night opening of the new video game-based movie.
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The new "A Minecraft Movie" is bringing some chaos to movie theatres by kids leaving a mess behind.
The "Chicken Jockey" trend is going viral, as young kids and teens post themselves on social media taking part in the trend.
It involves causing a huge disruptance in the theater when a character played by Jack Black says the words "chicken jockey" during a fight scene.
The owners of Township Theatre in Washington Township say they discovered the trend after large groups of young boys visited their theater and trashed it during the movies' opening day on Friday night.
"It's crazy to me that they'll do damage somewhere and then post it," said owner, Laura Rose. "Our daughter saw a TikTok of a bunch of boys who had recorded themselves at our theatre causing mayhem and screaming and throwing lotion all over the seats."
"A few of the seats in one of the rear rows had been ripped out of the floor." "They proceeded to throw popcorn spill their drinks, make a menace of themselves and trash the theater," said Rose.
While the staff worked to fix furniture and clean over the weekend, the family theater has some new rules for guests who are minors. This is what they shared in a Facebook post:
ATTENTION PARENTS
We want to make all parents aware of an unfortunate situation that occurred at Township Theatre last night during a showing of The Minecraft Movie.
A large group of unsupervised boys — believed to be from Waldwick — engaged in completely unacceptable behavior, including vandalism. We also received multiple complaints from other moviegoers who were trying to enjoy the film with their families. Video footage of the incident has been obtained.
Moving forward:
→ Any minors wishing to see The Minecraft Movie MUST be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Unaccompanied groups of boys will not be admitted.
If your son was at Township Theatre last night, we strongly encourage you to have a conversation with him about his behavior.
Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, respectful, and enjoyable environment for all of our guests.
— Township Theatre Management
"Kids will be kids, I know that. But a line was definitely crossed," said Rose. The theatre now also has caution tape across the stage to warn kids and parents that the stage is off limits. She asks parents to talk to their kids about being respectful in public.
