“Minions” fans are being banned from wearing suits to theaters as a result of a new TikTok meme. The trend began last week after the latest “Despicable Me” spin-off, “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” opened in theaters. Fans, especially teenage boys, proceeded to attend showings of the film in formalwear in large groups as part of an elaborate joke.
Videos of the trend posted online on TikTok and Twitter show large groups walking up to theaters and cheering during the film. The meme, dubbed Gentleminions, is not just limited to one country either, with videos shared by people in the UK, Australia, and Norway. The trend has also received backlash from theaters and staff complaining about the mess left behind by the large groups.
Like most things in pop culture, the Minions — the yellow indestructible creatures that were first introduced in the 2010 movie “Despicable Me” — have gone the full circle from being hated to becoming an ironic meme. Most recently, an innocent Minion Cult has surfaced on TikTok, but it is unclear whether these are the same people taking part in the Gentleminions meme. Fans on Twitter and TikTok have been discussing wearing suits to watch “The Rise of Gru” as early as May.
However, the idea came to fruition when Bill Hirst shared the first Gentleminions video last week. The film premiered early in Australia, where Hirst and his friends live. By the weekend, several people followed suit — pardon the pun — and posted their own versions of the trend.
Even the official “Minions” TikTok account has shared a video encouraging fans to turn up in suits. Unfortunately, some fans have gone too far while taking part in a trend. Some videos have shown people disrupting screenings of “Minions” and partying in front of the screen while the movie was being played.
Theater staff have also complained on Twitter and TikTok about fans leaving huge messes and banana peels, a fruit that the Minions particularly love in the movies. A theatergoer, @gillduds, shared a picture on Sunday of a sign outside her local Odeon theater in the UK which said that groups of guests who show up in “formal attire” will be “refused entry. ” The theatergoer also claimed they saw a group of kids being turned away.
A representative for Odeon told Insider in a statement: “Due to a small number of incidents in our cinemas over the weekend we have had to restrict access in some circumstances. ” While some fans agree that the trend should be reined in, others have complained that theaters should not be turning away customers. Some have even compared the ban to the George Orwell book, “1984.
” So far, Universal Pictures and the “Minions” social media handles have been supporting the trend. Gentleminions has been compared to the Morbillions meme for the movie “Morbius. ” Earlier this year, social media fans turned the Sony movie starring Jared Leto into a viral meme, joking that the movie was the best film ever and that it deserved multiple sequels.
The big difference is that “Minions: The Rise of Gru” has been a box office hit so far, breaking the Independence Day record, according to Forbes . “Morbius,” however, was considered a box office flop, especially after it was re-released in theaters in response to the viral meme. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is in theaters now.
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From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/minions-the-rise-of-gru-the-gentleminions-suit-meme-explained-2022-7
