Shouting, cheering and clapping at Minecraft movie

[netherite]

I'm actually on the fence about how I feel so rather than aibu I guess I'm just wondering what others think/thought.

Took DS (6) to the Minecraft movie tonight - this isn't a question about taste or quality of the film! Obviously Minecraft is enjoyed by a wide range of ages, and in particular there were large groups of teenage boys there, I'd say between 13 and 17 at a guess. They were generally polite in any contact (Ie; saying excuse me to get past etc) but when the film started, every time there were particular references there would be loud cheering, shouting, clapping and repeating the line - to the point of not being able to hear the film. I had briefly seen reference to this online and a friend who took their child to a different cinema also experienced it previously. I guess it probably happened about 15 times throughout the movie.

Now on the one hand, it was a bit of fun, they've paid their money too and it was an experience - I guess similar in vein to Rocky Horror audience.

On the other, there were lots of children around my D's age and some (D's included) were quite startled, upset and didn't understand why people were doing this - some left early, some were tearful and for D's it definitely spoilt his evening a bit.

I don't really know what a solution would be to make it so both groups enjoy it, but I think ultimately I'm a bit annoyed. Have others experienced this and what did you think? (For the poll purposes - iabu would be it's fine people are just having fun, ianbu would be that it's a bit annoying and antisocial

My DS came back from uni to go see it with school friends. He said there was cheering and clapping etc. I didn’t think much of it as they went to quite a late viewing but now wondering about the impact on those who it’s maybe not specifically ‘aimed’ at because of the kind of cult following of those it is.

I remember back in the 90s practically the whole audience bursting into a massive cheer during Babe when he perfectly herded all the sheep.
"That'll do pig"
🐖

I would worry it will get out of hand like it did with the Minion film (I posted a link above). But if it just a bit of cheering and clapping at appropriate moments then that is fine. But one poster said they had seen a video of some boys in the cinema.

This is where problems can start, people shouldn’t have their phones on, shouldn’t be videoing anything during a film. Behaviour in cinemas and theatres seems to have got worse especially since COVID. Talking, singing, talking on their phone throughout a performance/film is seen as fine

I think it has to change to survive and if adopting the Rocky Horror Show style of entertainment (remember all those lads dressed in tuxes going en masse to watch the last Bond movie, or people dresses as Minions for that one?) enables cinemas to survive and creates a space for 15-22yos to have some good clean fun, I’m really all for it

The difference is Rocky Horror sessions that went on for years were specifically marketed as Audience-particip-ation. It was expected and you couldn’t complain that people were shouting out, singing or dancing under the screen at the front. Similarly, when Frozen was out, there were sessions marked as sing along, and you couldn’t go to one and complain you were disturbed by the singing. However, to go to a movie session NOT specifically marked as audience participation/singaling/whatnot, you really should expect silence, not a bunch of young dickheads thinking they are funny calling out and clapping. If there is a market for this, and it seems there is, then the sessions should be marked accordingly, maybe 90% where people are allowed to act like loons under the banner of ‘it’s the only way we can have fun’, and 10% where people who just want to watch the film in peace without this can do so.

eh?
@Needmorelegomy point exactly.

Precisely - hence I state they need to label those performances accordingly.

I went with 7 year old DS and 13 year old DS who actually pretended he didn’t know us and sat at the back with a bunch of friends. 13 year old tells us it was the trailered bits everyone was shouting in recognition at. I couldn’t explain to seven year old why everyone was shouting ‘chicken jockey’ at the screen but he didn’t seem that bothered as he could see it was in good humour.

i think for my teen boys it’s hard to overstate how much they love Minecraft. They’ve grown up with it. It’s nice that they got to celebrate that.

clapping at the end is something I remember from the US - hope we don’t start doing that here it’s not like the actors can hear you!

Ahhh that'll do pig. Happy memories.

These days though films go to online streaming practically the same time as a cinema release or very soon after.
If you want to watch quietly - watch at home.
If there was a new album by Taylor Swift or whoever and you want to just listen to the music then buy the CD or download to listen at home.
If you want to sing along and enjoy the experience with other fans then go to a live performance.
This is sort of the same thing - going to the cinema is the communal experience. It's not going to be quiet and silent.
As someone else said cinemas have been struggling in the last few years. Making the cinema experience a more lively one is making it more of a reason to pay the costs of going rather than just downloading a film to watch at home.

Sorry - I was agreeing with you 🙂

I've just seen a post about this on my local Facebook group. A lot of people said it got very loud and boisterous and quite scary for the younger ones. Parents complained, but the cinema is staffed by teenagers who are unable to remove people.

I've booked tickets at the local Everyman cinema. Hopefully it will be slightly less rowdy! I'm all for teenagers having fun but Minecraft is played by such a range of ages that younger primary children will also want to see the movie.

me and my 15 year old ASD ds went last night he didn't clap or shout but loved the few people who did and he said it made him feel not so alone with his love for minecraft! it wasn't over the top shouting or clapping a lot of them where just so excited and into the film! great atmosphere

What age is this film aimed at then?
Tweens + basically.

PG

"Cinema release suitable for 12 years and over ·"

My Point exactly. It's aimed at over 12's.
Not 6 year olds really.
It's aimed at children like my ds2. Op doesn't really have grounds, seeing as her ds is below the recommended age.

I can't imagine missing lines of dialogue in the Minecraft movie is going to be of any great loss in all fairness.

@Needmorelego or if you want to be loud and leery you could do that at home.

Teens are mainly acting like this because it is something they have seen on social media, so not necessarily something we should be applauding. Many of them on a social media platform that they are too young to be on. Cinemas are then having to bear the brunt, like they did for the Minion movie. Difference with things like Rocky Horror is that it was marketed like that, cinemas knew what to expect when putting on a showing.

If it becomes a social media trend to shout loudly in a certain part of a theatre performance would people accept that?

When women whoop/clap at certain parts of Bridget Jones that is an automatic response to a line in a film, it isn’t something we have been told to do via Tik Tok

Are you in the cinema industry? Do you have figures that show more people will go if yelling and talking is allowed than will stop going for the same reason? If it becomes the norm to yell your way through a film I'll never go to a cinema again, nor will a lot of other people. I can't say what will be economically best for them so I'd like to see your workings.

Yeah, so cute that teenage boys are taking over spaces and making it all about them, disrupting everyone else. Teenage girls also went through covid, Minions was a huge event for my daughter too, her friend had also been really looking forward to Minecraft. Their experience of watching them both was entirely ruined by the behaviour of these cute teenage boys.

This smacks of “boys will be boys.” It’s a shame by 17 years old, they are already conditioned enough to believe they have the right to take over spaces like this.

Yes. The Taylor Swift concert film was almost entirely a female audience with a lot of cheering, clapping, singing along and dancing in front of the screen. Anyone who went to hear Taylor singing mostly heard teenage girls singing. But no one complained because people understood that's the atmosphere a movie like that creates/encourages.

A film of a concert is very different from a film that is supposed to have plot and dialogue.

There’s loads of movies where teenage girls have done the participation thing, lots of the fan ones (1d, Bieber)

its opening weekend of a teenage film, that’s been marketed on the memes, give it a week or so and go watch it in silence, it’s not the downfall of civilisation. Teens having a laugh at flint and steel or cheering for technoblade is just a bit of fun.

From what I understand the plot and dialogue are really quite minimal…

Interesting that you think age restrictions on films should govern the expected audience behaviour.

God knows what you expect to see happening in the seats next to you if you go to an 18.....

I went with DD17 last night. The film is awful but seeing all the teens getting excited had me welling up 🥲

I don't think missing it in its entirety would be any great loss, but don't those who have paid to see it have the right to hear it as well without others preventing them from doing so?

I'm glad for the heads up on this happening! My 9yo is so excited to be going to see this in a couple of weeks (Easter holidays) but he would get so frustrated & overwhelmed at that level of noise & disruption. Will definitely look at booking an earlier viewing. Hopefully all the initial excitement for the film will have dialled down a bit by time we go!