There was a time when going to the cinema meant dressing up a bit. Quietly filing into your seat. Watching the film. Clapping only if it moved you.
That time is gone.
Now? It’s mobs of teens in creeper hats screaming “chicken jockey” and throwing popcorn mid-scene. Because that’s what TikTok said was the thing to do.
A Minecraft Movie has done what no other film this year managed to do: revive cinema’s box office numbers. It’s earned over $550 million globally and is on track to hit a billion. Great. We love to see a win for film.
But it’s come at a price.
A new generation of cinema-goers doesn’t seem to understand the social contract. Screens are for watching. Popcorn is for eating. Words are for whispering.
Instead, we’ve got viral trends encouraging people to shout, scream and disrupt the viewing experience for everyone else. UK cinemas like Cineworld have put up signs warning audiences they’ll be removed for antisocial behaviour. One cinema said it would stop the film altogether if it got out of hand.
Cineworld has even offered “shouting screenings” where you can dress up and yell “chicken jockey” to your heart’s content. The fact that we now need to separate normal screenings from themed ones to avoid chaos says everything.
In the US, it’s worse. The Township Theatre in New Jersey has banned unaccompanied minors after a group of boys vandalised the venue during a screening. They had to post a message to parents asking them to talk to their sons about their behaviour.
This isn’t the first time TikTok has taken over cinemas. In 2022, kids in suits disrupted Minions: The Rise of Gru. Now it’s Minecraft. Next, it’ll be someone shouting over a Holocaust documentary for the meme.
Yes, the film is successful. Yes, it’s brought young people back into cinemas. But what kind of culture are we fostering when we reward disruptive behaviour with viral fame?
The industry is on fragile legs. Staff are underpaid. Theatres are struggling to recover post-Covid. Streaming platforms are eating into attendance. And now the one film saving the year is also the one pushing cinemas to the brink.
There’s joy in collective viewing. In shared laughs and gasps. In the hush before a key scene. But that only works when we all agree to behave like we’re not filming a TikTok.
This isn’t about being boring. It’s about basic respect for the medium, the staff, and the people who paid to sit next to you.
The Middle East has a different story to tell. Cinema culture here is still young, still evolving. There’s excitement, reverence, and a sense that the movie theatre is an experience worth dressing up for. While some regions are trying to tame chaos in the aisles, many Middle Eastern cinemas are trying to build traditions from scratch. And with so many first-time viewers discovering cinema not on Netflix, but on a big screen, there’s still time to set the standard before it’s lost to trends.
A Minecraft Movie might be a blockbuster. But if this is the cost of success, maybe we need to ask what kind of cinema culture we’re building. One scene, one popcorn grenade, one chicken jockey scream at a time.
Moey writes here. 
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