[SPOILERS AHEAD]

Last Friday, the Vali Twin Cinemas in downtown Powell erupted in cheers as the much-anticipated feature film of the hit video game finally released on the big screen.

With lines sprawling out the theatre doors and into the street, “A Minecraft Movie” debuted on April 4 to thunderous applause. 

“When we watched on release, it really reminded me of my childhood,” senior Liam Taylor said. “It was hype. I got to go with my best friends. I just really enjoyed myself, you know, we had a whole movie theatre full of Minecraft fans.”

A large selling point of the film up to this point has been the apparent meme-ability of many of the one-liners spread throughout the movie, like Steve’s [Jack Black’s] famous, “I… am Steve,” or the hyper-fixated-upon, “Chicken jockey!”

“‘Chicken jockey,’ ‘Flint and steel,’ truly the greatest one-liners in cinema history,” senior Lukas Legler said. “Jack Black was spectacular during this movie and delivering these one-liners to our blessed ears. I don’t think cinema’s ever gonna be able to replicate a movie like this.”

Even before the movie was released, audiences were laughing and playing along with the notorious lines seen in the trailers. When the movie finally hit the big screens on Friday night, all fun broke loose with rampant applause, cheering, and viewers copying the one-liners.

“Honestly, I think that’s the most fun I’ve ever, ever had in a movie theatre,” Taylor said. “The ‘chicken jockey’ part, just every single quote – the whole theatre was on board with it.”

The experience alone was enough to send the movie into stardom for some, with others making an entire night out of the movie and its fun-filled antics.

“The flint and meal, and our quest to get the flint and meal was an adventure like no other,” Legler said. “I think even Lewis and Clark’s adventure was more boring than going over to McDonald’s to get the flint and meal. The food was amazing, McDonald’s really had outdone themselves here. I’m not even sure caviar or napoleons or any other luxury cuisine can truly match how this meal tasted.”

Business for the theatre also rocketed up with lines spreading across the block waiting to buy tickets. The lobby was packed to the brim with audience members buying popcorn, sodas, and tons of candy.

“I think ‘Snow White’ had four people, and the first playing of the ‘Minecraft Movie’ had over 200 people,” Vali Twin Cinemas employee and senior Ava Sterns said. “The theatre only holds around 230 people, so it was almost full to capacity. Throughout the movie, there was random points of screaming that has never happened, ever… [the audience was] just saying stuff and we could hear it in the lobby.”

As of opening weekend, “A Minecraft Movie” has already hit $313.7 million, an astounding box office return for just one weekend’s gross. 

“I’m so glad it’s doing so well,” Taylor said. “I saw the movie director said, ‘I can’t wait to revisit this world.’ There’s gonna be a second one and I’ve already bought tickets in my mind.”

On top of that, It seems just about every attendee has their favorite part of the film, to add to the experience.

“[My favorite part was] when they burst out into songs or like a song played,” Taylor said. “The intro was really good. They somehow connected Minecraft to a kid taping a jetpack to a skeleton.”

Outside of bringing memorable moments from the trailers to the film, the movie also provided audiences with hilarious lines that truly shocked the crowd, including a moment when Jason Mamoa’s character, Garrett, says that the overworld “looks more like Wyoming.”

“I thought that was really great that Wyoming is finally getting the recognition it deserves from the Hollywood world,” Legler said. “I don’t think our grass is very blocky, but I could see how he could be confused considering he’s from Idaho, Garrett the Garbage Man is.”

“A Minecraft Movie” has been years in the making. Now, with the film released audiences can finally go back and revisit the game from their childhoods or the game they never gave up. 

Even though the film is still new, it has already left an impact on the community, helping to boost theatre sales in a time when movie-going is seemingly petering out, and bringing people together to enjoy a piece of their childhood, now brought to the big screen for everyone to enjoy.

“The cinematography, the casting, the acting, the CGI, everything, top to bottom was the greatest masterpiece I’ve ever seen in all 18 years of my life,” Legler said. “I have a hard time believing that there is any movie or any production that’ll be able to match that scale.”