A TikTok trend has NC teenagers wearing suits to see the new ‘Minions’ movie
“Minions: The Rise of Gru,” the latest installment in the Despicable Me film franchise, broke box office records this weekend.
The film made an estimated $125 million in the U.S., a record for the biggest opening over the Fourth of July weekend, CNN Business reported.
While the yellow creatures clad in blue overalls and goggles have been popular with young children, an unexpected group of people has turned out in droves to see the movie this weekend – teens dressed in suits.
During what many online have dubbed the #Gentleminions trend, large groups of sharply-dressed teens have filmed themselves attending screenings of the movie, cheering loudly as it begins and posting the videos to TikTok.
A group of teens in Australia posted a video on the platform doing exactly that last week. It has since amassed more than 35 million views.
Even “Mr. Beast,” whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, a YouTuber from Greenville, N.C. with nearly 100 million subscribers, joined in on the trend.
Some teens without dress clothes have also shown up to watch the movie. In a recent TikTok video, a large group of teens can be seen waiting to see the movie outside Regal Cinemas at Birkdale Village in Huntersville and chanting “Minions.”
While many see the gag as harmless fun meant to mock the film, some theaters have banned teens dressed in formal attire from watching the movie due to rambunctious behavior and vandalism.
In a recent TikTok video, teens dressed in blue overalls and yellow shirts can be seen leaving a theater after being scolded by staff. The user claimed the teens were “throwing bananas at the screen,” an item many teens have reportedly snuck into theaters as a nod to the Minions’ favorite food.
Another video shows a group of teens in suits in American Fork, Utah huddled together and jumping up and down in front of a movie theater screen shortly before the police arrived.
Some disturbances have caused cinema owners in the U.K. thousands of dollars in refunds from angry customers who wanted to watch the movie in peace, Rolling Stone reported.
A few teens participating in the trend were spotted at Ayrsley Grand Cinema in Charlotte, but there haven’t been any reports of rowdy behavior from, a theater employee told The Charlotte Observer.
While theater owners are bothered by the trend, Universal Pictures expressed its support for the movement in a tweet July 1, saying “to everyone showing up to Minions in suits: we see you and we love you.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
