‘Minions’ TikTok Trend Dominates Theaters, Forcing Bans On Audience Members
Photo 56289203 © Starstock | Dreamstime.com
The Minions are apparently so destructive, they’ve unleashed chaos onto the real world, whether deliberately or not.
If you’ve been on TikTok lately, and the algorithm permits it, you’d likely have seen videos of youths dressed in suits as they made their way to screenings of Minions: The Rise of Gru.
For the uninitiated, the #gentleminions craze, as it is called, draws from Gru’s habit of suiting up. Its participants are usually teenagers, not kids, and they arrive at cinemas in groups. Occasionally, they replicate the supervillain’s steepled fingers, too.
@lyndon.c Despicable af 🌠#fyp #minions #riseofgru #cineplex #gentleman
♬ original sound - billh
This whole “dress up in full suits to watch the new Minions” trend on tiktok got me cackling like an idiot pic.twitter.com/NadlgL4f0K
— Black Swordsman Shakoichi (@ShakExcellence) June 30, 2022
Universal Pictures itself gave the videos its stamp of approval, commending on Twitter: “We see you and we love you.”
Unfortunately, some of these real-life characters weren’t as gentleminionly as they looked and made the moviegoing experience uncomfortable for others. TikTok videos showcasing the aftermath of these stunts depict noise-making and littering as some of the—for the lack of a better word—despicable behavior exhibited by less considerate audience members.
@arimirabelle #stitch with @wixmovs people do way too many deranged things in the name of social media #gentleminions #minions #gru #cinema #minionsriseofgru
♬ original sound - Ari🌸
Some theaters tell the BBC that the trend has gotten so out of hand, they’re turning away customers who may ruin what could be the first movie for young patrons. Among the affected businesses are the Odeon cinema chain in the UK.
@marissaevolpe ♬ original sound - Whitt
Some have handed out refunds, which have mounted to the point of them canceling future screenings, the news outlet reports. Gru-some.
[via BBC and Esquire, cover photo 56289203 © Starstock | Dreamstime.com]
