Prank calls and popcorn everywhere: The TikTok trend causing havoc in SA cinemas

SA cinemas are having to patrol screenings and put on extra staff to stop teens throwing popcorns and drinks during the hit movie targeted by the TikTok trend.

Cinemas have been covered in popcorn and workers have received a barrage of prank calls as unruly moviegoers across South Australia engage in a disruptive social media trend.

TikTok videos have emerged interstate of teenagers shouting, throwing drinks and popcorn at screens and bringing objects such as a fire extinguisher and a live chicken to showings of A Minecraft Movie.

A scene from the Minecraft movie featuring the Chicken jockey.

Across Adelaide staff are having to patrol theatres and signs are being put up in an attempt to quell the chaos.

The phenomenon involves young people responding to a scene in the movie when Jason Mamoa’s character Garrett ‘The Garbage Man’ Garrison fights a baby zombie who rides a chicken, known as a ‘chicken jockey’.

Last week in Melbourne movie goers were doused with a fire extinguisher and covered in flour as members of the audience shouted ‘chicken jockey’.

A viral TikTok trend has caused chaos at a screening of the Minecraft Movie in Melbourne with some movie goers doused with a fire extinguisher and covered in flour. Picture: TikTok

At The Piccadilly cinema in North Adelaide, venue manager Maddy Munn said her staff had received at least 15 prank calls.

“They’d call and just scream ‘chicken jockey’ and hang up,” Ms Munn said.

“They’ve been asking for 10 buckets of popcorn to throw at the screen.”

Cinema workers are “trying to be vigilant” as they are forced to take extra time cleaning up after screenings.

While the movie is bringing patrons to cinemas, so far generating more than $720m worldwide after its opening in the first week of April, Ms Munn said “it’s hard” to manage.

“We want people to come here and enjoy their experience but we’re being impacted and having to clean up,” she said.

At Wallis Cinemas in Mt Barker and Mitcham, staff erected signs to remind patrons of conditions of entry and that they were aware of the disruptive TikTok trend.

Wallis Mt Baker manager Mahli Haskard said screenings of A Minecraft Movie were “busier and messier than your standard session”.

Piccadilly cinema venue manager Maddy Munn said while they want patrons to enjoy the movie, the poor behaviour was impacting both them and other patrons. Picture: Supplied

Management at the venue have increased the number of staff to accommodate the screenings and disruptions have resulted in multiple complaints.

“That first weekend our supervisors had a bad couple of nights,” Ms Haskard said.

“If you get everyone happy and cheering that’s great but you’ve got 6 to eight-year-olds who just want to come with their parents to enjoy it.”

At Wallis Mitcham, manager Graham Fordham said at his venue, “the mess was significantly bad”.

Staff reminded patrons “if they are going with popcorn, it is not to be thrown”.

“It’s an inconvenience because of the length of time between films as we can be cleaning into lights going down when people should be coming in and finding their seats,” Mr Fordham said.

“We’re advising all groups to discourage them from following the trends.”