"A Minecraft Movie" brings chicken jockey chaos to Utah theaters
The big picture: As audiences stampede to the biggest box office hit of the year (so far), one scene is prompting near-riots, per now-viral videos of audiences screaming, throwing food and drinks, removing clothing and chicken-fighting in front of the big screen.
Friction point: A Provo theater stopped the projector and hit the lights last week when a patron brought a live chicken and held it aloft as other fans shot confetti guns and threw popcorn around it, footage shows.
Video from Heber City shows a similar eruption in the crowd.
How it works: Audiences have been chanting and cheering along with their favorite characters throughout the movie, but the biggest reaction is generally reserved for when Jack Black shouts the line, "Chicken jockey!"
The latest: Some theaters around the country are playing warnings and requiring adults to accompany kids . Others have set up special screenings for audience participation.
Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres, for example, have hired extra security and play a message that reads: "We are aware of the TikTok trends associated with A Mincecraft Movie. Please know that those who disrupt our guests and damage our theater will be escorted out of the theater immediately by police. We will press charges for any damage to our property."
Director Jared Hess has said he enjoyed the enthusiasm; Black attended a screening and told the audience not to throw popcorn, the publication Hollywood Handle posted on X.
Catch up quick: Utah has a number of ties to the movie.
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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Seeing the ‘Smurfs' movie with my daughter took me right back to Saturday morning cartoons
The new film brought back childhood memories for the adults. Hello, Yahoo readers. I'm Suzy Byrne, and I've been covering entertainment in this space for over a decade. I'll be the first to tell you I'm no hardcore cinema buff. Since I had a child, though, I've made it a point to see as many kid-friendly movies as possible. Maybe it's because I'm a big kid ✔ and love a cheerful ending ✔. But also, as a busy working parent, is there greater joy than getting two hours to turn off your phone and put up your feet while your child is fully entertained?! So that's what this is — one entertainment reporter + her 10-year-old child + friends seeing family-friendly fare, indulging in film-themed treats and replying all to you about the experience. Welcome to Kids' Movie Club. Now playing: Sometimes my kid picks the movie we sit down to watch, like Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and A Minecraft Movie. Other times, it's my inner child calling the shots — the one who grew up religiously watching The Smurfs during Saturday morning cartoons back in the day. I may groan about the sequels and remakes now playing these days, but there's a certain comfort in familiarity. The two moms I went to the theater with also felt that nostalgic pull. As I reclined my seat and dropped my hand into the greasy popcorn bowl (hey, didn't I say no butter?), I'm taken right into that world — in this case, the one where little blue creatures, three apples high, live in a colorful, hidden mushroom village and dodge villains in patched robes with feisty cats. Yes, this mostly animated, part-live-action flick is one as much for the grown-ups as the kids. Case in point: Rihanna voices Smurfette and debuts new music. That flew right over the heads of the 6-year-olds in the theater, but the adults and the Rih Navy? Very aware. There are also bleeped bad words and Smurfette talking about what happens to 'handsy' men. There are jokes about forgetting to unmute on work video calls and, for '80s kids, a cover of '80s goddess Belinda Carlisle's hit 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth.' In the PG flick, clocking in at 1 hour, 29 minutes and featuring a star-studded voice cast, the kids enjoyed the free-flowing humor throughout. Though, for the other original watchers, not from Jokey Smurf, who's apparently been retired from the crew. A character giving everyone exploding boxes lands different in 2025. There's also an uplifting message about finding your purpose, as No Name (voiced by James Corden) tries to discover what he's good at — just like Brainy, Hefty and the rest of the largely blue man crew. The plot 🎬 The story jumps, skips and detours into chaos, but here's the general idea: No Name gets magical abilities from a talking book named Jaunty (Amy Sedaris). He shows them to Papa (John Goodman) — I've found my thing! — and in doing so alerts Gargamel's even more sinister brother Razamel (both wizards voiced by JP Karliak) as to the location of the Smurfs' village. Papa Smurf gets Smurfnapped, prompting Smurfette and No Name to go on a Smurfs world tour — to France, Germany and Australia — to try and get him back. Along the way, they meet a dizzying number of new characters — Papa's brother Ken (Nick Offerman), friend Ron (Kurt Russell), the furry but fierce Snooterpoots, the Alliance of Evil Wizards and the International Neighborhood Watch Smurfs — who require an org chart to keep straight. Our viewing party 🍿 Three moms, three 10-year-old girls and my husband, who slept through a good portion of the film but somehow remembered every plot point better than the rest of us. The theater was out of blue slushies, but we survived — like true '80s latchkey kids who got themselves up, fixed their own breakfast (Smurf Berry Crunch, anyone?) and made it to school on their own. It was a cozy scene: My daughter had won Smurf plushies for the other kids in a claw machine while on vacation, so they all had those friends. (More stuffies! 🙄) One girl even brought her blanket from home. Parts that had the kids talking 👧🏻👧🏻👧🏻 Smurfette didn't have that much to do beyond being supportive, but the kids were still stans. They enjoyed learning her backstory about Gargamel making her from clay to sow discord among the Smurfs. She later had a mic-drop moment with the villains, saying just because she was created by someone bad doesn't mean she has to be: 'Who I am is up to me.' Other Smurfette highlights included when she momentarily had an orange beard, stress ate all the fries and told the baddies that they needed therapy and a hug. Sound Effects Smurf (Spencer X) got laughs — especially now that the kids are of the age where they know most curse words — beeping out words like: 'I don't know what the [bleep] I was thinking' and 'Kick [bleep] Smurf.' Razamel's eventual takedown had them howling: He was sent airborne, and his clothes flew off. Other hits: Azrael (Rachel Butera) being turned into a gryphon to help Gargamel escape the castle and the dance numbers. I mean, when isn't a dance party to Rihanna a good idea? 'Please Don't Stop the Music' — ever. Parts that had the adults talking 👩🏻👩🏻👩🏻🙎🏻♂️ The sequence with Smurfette and No Name moved through different animation styles, including Claymation and an old-school video game. It was an animator's flex. Natasha Lyonne as Mama Poot. My friend knew it was the actress from the first syllable she uttered with that distinctive voice. A portal plot point. Again. It seems like nearly every kid-friendly summer movie have one. Whether or not Gargamel was always a brother. Apparently, Razamel is new. So are the four books, including Jaunty, which maintain balance in the universe. And was there always a Smurf language, where 'smurf' was substituted for random nouns, verbs and adjectives? Yup. The moral messaging may have been laid on thick— 'There's more magic in you than you think' and 'Kindness always wins' — but I'll take the positivity. We also swapped Smurf merch memories: Who had the firefighter figurine that had a real pump? Who owned The Smurfette book? And we talked about who dared to try Smurf Berry Crunch, which we agreed was probably 70% sugar and 30% blue dye. (No wonder it had a short run.) Appropriateness 🚽 It was fine for our crew of kids, but there was some violence (villains, kidnappings, fights), a lot of name-calling (stupid, imbecile, etc.) and toilet talk ('I smurfed my pants), and the aforementioned censored curse words. Also: unnecessary cat hate. Razamel wasn't a fan of his brother's feline. Honestly, justice for Azrael. Stay for the credits? 🎞️ Yes — there's a mid-credits scene with Gargamel and his assistant Joel (Dan Levy) hinting at 'unfinished business' with the Smurfs. Trailers 🎥 They got the kids laughing before the movie even started and the sugar kicked in. The biggest hit was The Cat in the Hat (out Feb. 27), starring Bill Hader. There's a popcorn explosion, pepper spray retribution and a 'toot fart.' My crew loves a fart joke, so I might as well preorder those tickets now. Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Hollywood is struggling. So why does anyone want to buy a movie studio now?
The theatrical box office market is down. It's harder than ever to get people out of their homes and into the cinema. The business model for movies in streaming is still a work in progress. Given all these challenges, who would want to buy a movie studio now? Many people, it turns out. Earlier this month, the entertainment industry was abuzz after reports that film and TV production company Legendary Entertainment, the company behind 'Dune' and 'A Minecraft Movie,' was considering a potential acquisition of 'Hunger Games' and 'John Wick' producer and distributor Lionsgate Studios. Both companies have declined to comment on the reports. It's hardly the only deal news in the film business. In June, independent film finance and production firm Alcon Media Group — known for 'The Blind Side' and 'Blade Runner 2049' — bought the film library of 'Joker' and 'Ocean's Eleven' producer and financier Village Roadshow Entertainment for $417.5 million after an auction process that was part of the West Hollywood company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Village Roadshow did not respond to a request for comment. Alcon could not be reached for comment. And of course, the biggest takeover in the business is the long-pending sale of Paramount Global to Skydance Media, an $8-billion deal that received government approval Thursday. Though the first half of the year has been rocked by uncertainty in the financial markets, including fears about the effects of President Trump's tariffs and trade policies, there is likely pent-up demand for dealmaking that could emerge in the coming months and years, said lawyer Tom Ara, a partner in the private equity group at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, who also leads the firm's entertainment, sports and media practice. 'There's a lot of capital sitting on the sidelines, and I think there's a lot of desire by different strategic and financial players to make deals,' he said. 'Film, TV — it's still the least expensive form of entertainment for the vast majority of the general public, and so it's not going anywhere.' Movie attendance was badly damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and has not recovered. Domestic revenue remains down 24% from 2019, according to Comscore. But even as the industry has undergone change and upheaval, strategic buyers, both foreign and domestic, see value in what film studios are producing. Intellectual property has become key, as audiences now gravitate mostly toward what they already know. With studios' vast libraries of films, not only could those collections be ripe for reboots, sequels, prequels or spinoffs, but they also give owners options for other, non-film revenue streams, such as merchandise, theme park opportunities, TV shows, streaming deals and licensing. 'It's less about short-term earnings and more about using that film studio as a key to unlock strategic value down the road,' said Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy at research firm Greenlight Analytics. 'They're not necessarily standalone cash cows. The interest in one is more about the broader ecosystem.' While intellectual property can come from anywhere, movies are a particularly valuable way to generate value because of their worldwide distribution. A major hit can drive more revenue at every stage of a film's post-release distribution journey, said J. Christopher Hamilton, a practicing entertainment attorney and a professor at Syracuse University who focuses on the business of media. 'It's like being given the raw materials to build the empire,' he said. 'No matter how successful the streaming network is ... it's never going to have the same level of impact globally on every level as a blockbuster hit.' Private equity firms — which tend to be attracted to film and TV libraries because of the cash flow they generate — have retrenched a bit from their previous interest in Hollywood. But some groups have participated in recent deals, including RedBird Capital Partners, which is backing the Skydance bid for Paramount, and Apollo Global Management, which also made a play for Paramount in a joint bid with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Apollo has a minority stake in Legendary. Lionsgate has long been considered a potential acquisition target, particularly as it's one of few so-called mini-major studios left in the industry. The company acquired cable network Starz in 2016 for $4.4 billion to bulk up and better compete in the media ecosystem. But the business model for traditional television cratered amid the rise of streaming, and earlier this year, the two formally split into separate publicly-traded companies. Lionsgate merged its studio business with a special purpose acquisition company in a deal that valued its assets at $4.6 billion and gave it a way to raise new capital. The decoupling from Starz was seen as a way for Lionsgate to separate itself from the declining fortunes of the TV business and potentially be more attractive to buyers as a standalone studio, analysts said. Lionsgate also has a distribution arm, which could be enticing for a company like Legendary, which partners with other studios such as Warner Bros. to release its films. Village Roadshow, which has a library of 108 films including stakes in 'The Matrix' films and 'Mad Max: Fury Road,' went up for sale amid a bruising legal battle with Warner Bros. and after the pandemic and the dual writers' and actors' strikes of 2023 throttled an ambitious slate. Alcon, led by co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, could be limited in what it can do with the properties, many of which were released by and co-financed with Warner Bros. Pictures. But Alcon still saw value in the assets to supplement its own content library. The Village Roadshow titles collectively generate an estimated $50 million annually, Alcon said. For David Ellison and his billionaire father, Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison, buying a legacy studio like Paramount is an opportunity to turn around an asset that has long suffered from poor corporate decision making and chronic underinvestment. Who else could be in the market for a studio or film library during this period of consolidation? Foreign buyers are a possibility, particularly those from the Middle East, analysts and experts said. Qatari broadcaster BeIN Media Group already owns a 51% stake in film and TV studio Miramax (Paramount Global owns the other half). Last year, Saudi Arabia launched a $100 million film fund to attract productions to the country. And Hollywood studios are recognizing the potential for new audiences and customer bases in the Middle East — earlier this year, Walt Disney Co. said it would open a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Though tech companies like Apple or Google are frequently discussed as potential buyers of legacy studios, the fact that none have yet embarked on a deal — with the exception of Amazon for MGM Studios — could indicate that they don't see it as a business priority, Hamilton said. In the end, the discussion about mergers and acquisitions indicates the volatility of the industry — and individual studios' realistic assessments about their own futures, said Corey Martin, managing partner and chair of Granderson Des Rochers' entertainment finance practice. 'I think that we're going to see further consolidation,' he said. 'You're already seeing the signs of some of these various parties coming to grips, being honest with themselves as companies and platforms about whether they're buyers or sellers — and to the extent you are a seller, how do you best position yourself to maximize shareholder value?'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Seeing the ‘Smurfs' movie with my daughter took me right back to Saturday morning cartoons
Hello, Yahoo readers. I'm Suzy Byrne, and I've been covering entertainment in this space for over a decade. I'll be the first to tell you I'm no hardcore cinema buff. Since I had a child, though, I've made it a point to see as many kid-friendly movies as possible. Maybe it's because I'm a big kid ✔ and love a cheerful ending ✔. But also, as a busy working parent, is there greater joy than getting two hours to turn off your phone and put up your feet while your child is fully entertained?! So that's what this is — one entertainment reporter + her 10-year-old child + friends seeing family-friendly fare, indulging in film-themed treats and replying all to you about the experience. Welcome to Kids' Movie Club. Now playing: Sometimes my kid picks the movie we sit down to watch, like Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and A Minecraft Movie. Other times, it's my inner child calling the shots — the one who grew up religiously watching The Smurfs during Saturday morning cartoons back in the day. I may groan about the sequels and remakes now playing these days, but there's a certain comfort in familiarity. The two moms I went to the theater with also felt that nostalgic pull. As I reclined my seat and dropped my hand into the greasy popcorn bowl (hey, didn't I say no butter?), I'm taken right into that world — in this case, the one where little blue creatures, three apples high, live in a colorful, hidden mushroom village and dodge villains in patched robes with feisty cats. Yes, this mostly animated, part-live-action flick is one as much for the grown-ups as the kids. Case in point: Rihanna voices Smurfette and debuts new music. That flew right over the heads of the 6-year-olds in the theater, but the adults and the Rih Navy? Very aware. There are also bleeped bad words and Smurfette talking about what happens to 'handsy' men. There are jokes about forgetting to unmute on work video calls and, for '80s kids, a cover of '80s goddess Belinda Carlisle's hit 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth.' In the PG flick, clocking in at 1 hour, 29 minutes and featuring a star-studded voice cast, the kids enjoyed the free-flowing humor throughout. Though, for the other original watchers, not from Jokey Smurf, who's apparently been retired from the crew. A character giving everyone exploding boxes lands different in 2025. There's also an uplifting message about finding your purpose, as No Name (voiced by James Corden) tries to discover what he's good at — just like Brainy, Hefty and the rest of the largely blue man crew. The plot 🎬 The story jumps, skips and detours into chaos, but here's the general idea: No Name gets magical abilities from a talking book named Jaunty (Amy Sedaris). He shows them to Papa (John Goodman) — I've found my thing! — and in doing so alerts Gargamel's even more sinister brother Razamel (both wizards voiced by JP Karliak) as to the location of the Smurfs' village. Papa Smurf gets Smurfnapped, prompting Smurfette and No Name to go on a Smurfs world tour — to France, Germany and Australia — to try and get him back. Along the way, they meet a dizzying number of new characters — Papa's brother Ken (Nick Offerman), friend Ron (Kurt Russell), the furry but fierce Snooterpoots, the Alliance of Evil Wizards and the International Neighborhood Watch Smurfs — who require an org chart to keep straight. Our viewing party 🍿 Three moms, three 10-year-old girls and my husband, who slept through a good portion of the film but somehow remembered every plot point better than the rest of us. The theater was out of blue slushies, but we survived — like true '80s latchkey kids who got themselves up, fixed their own breakfast (Smurf Berry Crunch, anyone?) and made it to school on their own. It was a cozy scene: My daughter had won Smurf plushies for the other kids in a claw machine while on vacation, so they all had those friends. (More stuffies! 🙄) One girl even brought her blanket from home. Parts that had the kids talking 👧🏻👧🏻👧🏻 Smurfette didn't have that much to do beyond being supportive, but the kids were still stans. They enjoyed learning her backstory about Gargamel making her from clay to sow discord among the Smurfs. She later had a mic-drop moment with the villains, saying just because she was created by someone bad doesn't mean she has to be: 'Who I am is up to me.' Other Smurfette highlights included when she momentarily had an orange beard, stress ate all the fries and told the baddies that they needed therapy and a hug. Sound Effects Smurf (Spencer X) got laughs — especially now that the kids are of the age where they know most curse words — beeping out words like: 'I don't know what the [bleep] I was thinking' and 'Kick [bleep] Smurf.' Razamel's eventual takedown had them howling: He was sent airborne, and his clothes flew off. Other hits: Azrael (Rachel Butera) being turned into a gryphon to help Gargamel escape the castle and the dance numbers. I mean, when isn't a dance party to Rihanna a good idea? 'Please Don't Stop the Music' — ever. Parts that had the adults talking 👩🏻👩🏻👩🏻🙎🏻♂️ The sequence with Smurfette and No Name moved through different animation styles, including Claymation and an old-school video game. It was an animator's flex. Natasha Lyonne as Mama Poot. My friend knew it was the actress from the first syllable she uttered with that distinctive voice. A portal plot point. Again. It seems like nearly every kid-friendly summer movie have one. Whether or not Gargamel was always a brother. Apparently, Razamel is new. So are the four books, including Jaunty, which maintain balance in the universe. And was there always a Smurf language, where 'smurf' was substituted for random nouns, verbs and adjectives? Yup. The moral messaging may have been laid on thick— 'There's more magic in you than you think' and 'Kindness always wins' — but I'll take the positivity. We also swapped Smurf merch memories: Who had the firefighter figurine that had a real pump? Who owned The Smurfette book? And we talked about who dared to try Smurf Berry Crunch, which we agreed was probably 70% sugar and 30% blue dye. (No wonder it had a short run.) Appropriateness 🚽 It was fine for our crew of kids, but there was some violence (villains, kidnappings, fights), a lot of name-calling (stupid, imbecile, etc.) and toilet talk ('I smurfed my pants), and the aforementioned censored curse words. Also: unnecessary cat hate. Razamel wasn't a fan of his brother's feline. Honestly, justice for Azrael. Stay for the credits? 🎞️ Yes — there's a mid-credits scene with Gargamel and his assistant Joel (Dan Levy) hinting at 'unfinished business' with the Smurfs. Trailers 🎥 They got the kids laughing before the movie even started and the sugar kicked in. The biggest hit was The Cat in the Hat (out Feb. 27), starring Bill Hader. There's a popcorn explosion, pepper spray retribution and a 'toot fart.' My crew loves a fart joke, so I might as well preorder those tickets now.
