Seeing fans dress up as their favorite characters is nothing new, and the practice is commonplace at big movie premieres .
However, there’s a line between good, wholesome, cosplaying fun and causing a public disturbance, and it appears that teens in the U.K. have crossed this line, in turn ruining the fun for everyone else.
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The characters they’re emulating, somewhat surprisingly, are Minions. This is a weird one, so bust out the popcorn and strap in.
‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ was released on July 1st.
The much-anticipated CGI comedy is the fifth entry in the Despicable Me franchise , which has grossed an impressive $3.7 billion globally since the release of the first film in the franchise back in 2010.
The new film is doing brisk business in its opening weekend.
Previous Minions films have raked in the cash, so it’s no surprise that The Rise of Gru is already a box office success. After a big opening weekend, it looks like it may be the most financially successful film in the franchise.
Fans are excited…possibly a little too excited.
Because it’s 2022 and no one can have nice things, a TikTok trend tied to the movie has threatened to ruin the fun for moviegoers. The #GentleMinions trend refers to dressing up nicely — like a gentleman — to see the movie.
That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?
Wearing formal attire to a movie sounds harmless enough, but the madlads participating in this viral trend haven’t always played nice. In response, numerous movie theaters have put up signs banning anyone with formal attire (and especially groups with formal attire) from entering the theater.
What have they been doing?
Staffers at some theaters — particularly in the U.K. — have reported that teenagers in suits have ruined multiple screenings of The Rise of Gru .
“The moment they were in their seats and the film started, it became a whole other story, sadly,” one U.K. theater manager told CBC. “The behavior just went downhill very quickly.”
Moviegoers dress up in formal wear and bring bananas.
The bananas are a reference to the Minions’ yellow color, while the suits are a reference to, uh, suits, I suppose.
The trend is widespread, and most #GentleMinions movie screenings have gone off without incident.
Theaters aren’t taking any chances.
Anyone who’s worked in the movie theater will tell you that cleanup is a big job. If there’s even a chance of a group of rowdy people causing problems and creating messes, theater managers don’t want anything to do with it.
The trend has entered the pop culture zeitgeist.
This tweet shows us that the #GentleMinions trend has taken off to the point that it’s a top of mind issue for some on Twitter, moreso than Delta pilots striking for better work conditions.
#GentleMinions is good fun, for the most part.
A representative for Cineplex, a Canadian theater chain, said in a statement that the opening weekend of The Rise of Gru was “a weekend of costumes, fun and fandom.”
It hasn’t stopped theaters from being wary of anyone going to a Minions movie while wearing a suit.
It’s a weird way to celebrate the franchise.
Many people, myself included, probably weren’t aware that the Minions franchise was so beloved by so many people — many of whom are now in their rowdy teen years. It’s great to see such a dedicated fandom, so long as they can control themselves.
Have you seen The Rise of Gru?
If so, what was the scene like inside the theater? Were people dressed in suits or holding bananas? Let us know what you think of the franchise, and share your thoughts on this bizarre story, in the comments!
