A new viral TikTok trend may be boosting box office figures for the new Minions: The Rise of Gru movie, but it has also prompted some cinemas in the UK to ban young patrons wearing suits.
The #GentleMinions trend has seen well-dressed teenagers making noise, throwing objects and engaging in other disruptive behaviours during the movie.
TikTok videos showing young people dressed in suits, watching the movie in large groups and cheering loudly during the screening have gone viral, sometimes attracting millions of views.
@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🌸
Many #gentleminions film themselves copying the trademarked steepled fingers of the movie’s villain, Felonius Gru, while others revel in throwing bananas (the Minions’ favourite fruit) at the screen.
Some of the many TikTok videos depict teens being ejected from theatres, while almost all spend a lot of time showing off the various formal wear they’ve chosen for the movie.
The viral videos are apparently encouraging a boost in ticket sales for the movie.
Minions: The Rise of Gru took $8.2 million at the box office over the weekend, eclipsing Top Gun: Maverick.
However, in the UK, cinema managers say they have had to hand out large numbers of refunds to moviegoers complaining about the behaviour.
Movie studio Universal Pictures, which distributes the movie, appeared to encourage the trend, with a post on Twitter saying: “to everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you.”
Tweet from @UniversalPics
The official Minions TikTok account has also appeared to endorse practice by reposting one of the viral videos, accompanied by the “Bobspeed you gentleminions” in partial ‘Minionese’.
