Memes as Marketing: How “A Minecraft Movie” Dug Up Box Office Gold

Every so often, blockbusters shift the dynamics of moviegoing. The perfect blend of growing audience anticipation, viral marketing campaigns, and widespread critical attention captures the cultural zeitgeist, driving hordes of moviegoers to theaters. It’s then that the blockbuster is no longer just a film; it becomes an event. 

This is how A Minecraft Movie, starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, found box office gold, sort of. Before the movie’s release, it had all the necessary ingredients for a financial blunder: largely negative fan reception, underwhelming trailers, and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 46 percent. According to Box Office Pro, A Minecraft Movie was slated to have a domestic opening weekend range of $55-75 million, falling well below ideal standards for profit. Screen Rant noted that the movie had a production budget of around $150 million, and if advertising costs were included. That meant the film needed to make at least $375 million to make its money back. The forecast for success was dubious at best.

So, how did a film destined for such failure become one of 2025’s biggest debuts according to Box Office Mojo? To everyone’s surprise, A Minecraft Movie has defied the odds, raking in $163 million domestically on its first weekend and $313 million worldwide. The secret? Memes!

Following the release of the first teaser on September 4, 2024, loyal fans and casual viewers alike were quick to criticize. The hyper-realistic CGI designs were an uncomfortable departure from the game’s simplicity, and the dialogue was blocky to match. However, it was Black, who plays Steve in the film, who delivered the diamond line: “I…am Steve.” His intense, epic delivery of such a cartoonish line was goofy enough to be oddly endearing. TikToks making fun of that moment gradually circled the internet, growing a slow presence in meme culture.

Just when fans thought Black had delivered the best-worst line of his career, the final trailer dropped six months later on February 28. It unveiled even more of Black’s absurd line reads. Phrases such as “Flint and steel” and “the nether”, both direct references to the game’s mechanics, gained notoriety as social media users enjoyed the dramatic absurdity of these nonsensical lines. However, the straw that broke the camel’s back was Black’s final line in the trailer. A baby zombie falls onto a chicken and rides it like a horse, to which Black exclaims, “Chicken Jockey!”, an enemy type from the game. His over-the-top enthusiasm made the line easy to imitate and repeat. Videos of people ranking all of Black’s lines through each trailer and TV spot began circulating on social media, building a post-ironic hype for when audiences would finally see these lines on the big screen.

After the movie’s release, fans made sure to reward Black’s enthusiasm with some of their own. Viral videos of audiences cheering and screaming in theaters when Black shouts “Chicken Jockey” became an overnight sensation. Moviegoers across the country continued to up the ante. Many dressed up in Minecraft-themed attire, and some videos even featured people throwing popcorn across the theater in celebration. One now-infamous clip even depicts a fan bringing a live chicken into the theater in anticipation of that iconic line. 

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. The dual release of Barbie and Oppenheimer in July 2023 sparked a massive turnout for both films. People on social media saw the hilarity of a lighthearted comedy about dolls releasing the same day as a depressing biopic about the atomic bomb, dubbing the event “Barbenheimer.” Fans began showing out in hot pink outfits or dark suits in preparation for both films. In 2022, the “Gentleminions” trend saw thousands of young kids and teenagers on TikTok wearing their best formalwear to Minions: The Rise of Gru, the irony being a friend group overdressing for a kids’ movie.

As A Minecraft Movie approaches its third weekend as a box office dominator, the chaos has mellowed down. However, the film’s success is a unique demonstration of the staying power of memes in modern pop culture. TikTok is the gateway to accessing the interests of younger generations, and online trends can change cultural dynamics in an instant. Memes no longer just entertain; they create an opportunity for participation. In the post-COVID era, people often sought ways to find togetherness after a hard period of prolonged isolation, and Minecraft memes offered just that. What was advertised as an ordinary movie theater experience can now become an outlet for childlike fun for most, and what began as an ironic mockery evolved into an almost earnest excitement. While throwing popcorn around may be crossing a line, the intention is clear: A Minecraft Movie is one of film history’s most successful inside jokes, and people find happiness in being in the know.