Fans of the Minions are in big trouble!! At least with some movie theater employees, that is!
The new Minion movie Minions: The Rise of Gru is doing wonders at the box office, reportedly taking in more than $125 million over the 4-day weekend. But at least some of that impressive financial total has been overshadowed by a TikTok trend that has movie theater managers INCENSED!!
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The bizarre trend goes like this: mostly high school-aged kids — often teenage boys, but not always — have been showing up to movie theaters in very large groups to watch the film. Sounds great, right?! What’s the problem here??
Well, they’re all wearing suits like an army of businessmen, some even smoking cigars, while packing the theater in an ironic show of love. More worrisome is their alleged behavior once inside. According to Newsweek, after getting their surreal videos of entering the theater together, the teens are treating the actual screening like a party. Various theater managers have claimed the kids cheer loudly, clap, throw bananas at the screen, and even get physical by “moshing” with each other in the middle of the flick! Sounds like midnight screenings of Rocky Horror or The Room — is this already a cult hit??
BTW, the viral “movement” started back in 2019 when TikTok users first joked about dressing up in adult clothes and buying tickets for the children’s movie as an act of irony. It’s not even intentionally disruptive. In fact, all the viral clips we’ve seen have indicated these groups are having lots of wholesome fun! But the supposedly rowdy nature of some of the groups involving the so-called “gentleminion” fans has now forced theaters to act.
Here is just one of many, many TikTok vids that have gone viral showing teens dressing out to see their beloved Minions:
@bill.hirst
LOLz! That’s actually kind of funny! The disturbances inside are apparently causing a headache, though.
According to Newsweek, at least one theater chain in the United Kingdom — Odeon Cinemas — has taken action against the Minion lovers! A spokesperson for the theater chain confirmed to the outlet that they have started to “restrict access” to the movie for those who have come dressed in suits, explaining:
“Due to a small number of incidents in our cinemas over the weekend we have had to restrict access in some circumstances.”
Social media users have also shared pictures of signs reportedly placed at Odeon-owned theaters warning viewers that they may be refused entry if wearing “formal attire” to the show:
Thoroughly entertained by this sign @ODEONCinemas and then saw a bunch of kids in suits refused entry! #gentleminions pic.twitter.com/zo7seJ5COl
— ???????????????? ???????????????? (@gillduds) July 3, 2022
REALLY?!!
Still, it sounds like at least a few groups really were getting too rowdy.
One viral video posted on the first day the movie was in theaters alleged that younger viewers were “throwing bananas at the screen” during the showing:
zoomers are throwing bananas at the screen during screenings of minions rise of gru and getting entire theaters shut down pic.twitter.com/LxHULD9Sjh
— cold ???? (@coldhealing) July 1, 2022
Yikes!
Play it cool, Minion lovers. Enjoy your movie in your ironic suit, but don’t mess it up for the families enjoying it!
Innerestingly, over on Twitter, there are some very mixed reactions to the rise of Gru the gentleminions. Here are just a few of the varied responses to the Minion movie teen takeovers:
“Minions and zoomers deserve each other”
“Why do they care about how others want see a movie”
“What a mixed up world when kids dress nicely and get treated like this”
“This doesn’t look fun at all. Especially for the parents there with their kids…”
“honestly this looks like fun the viral marketing is working on me”
“whats wrong with people these days.”
Ooookay!
What do U think about it, Perezcious readers??
Share your thoughts down in the comments (below)!
[Image via Illumination/YouTube/TikTok]
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