Dressed Teens Disrupt ‘Minions’ Movie In Viral TikTok Trend

Teens all over the world dress up in suits and go to the cinema to watch Minions: The Rise of Gru†

The new TikTok viral trend dubbed “GentleMinions” is causing a worldwide stir as some of the tailor-made youngsters “ruined” the movie for other moviegoers with their unruly behavior.

Why are they doing this in the first place, you ask? The first Despicable Me The film premiered in 2010, and heralded the beginning of the internet’s obsession with the cute little yellow cartoon creatures in overalls. Kids started sharing Minion memes on Facebook at the time, and although another movie was released in 2015, those were Gen Z children are all grown up now and have waited five long years for a prequel.

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On TikTok, you’ll see these brightened, mostly male teens riding up the cinema escalators in large groups and clapping through the film from start to finish, showing their love for the animated film they grew up with. Some even take bananas to the cinema, the favorite food of the Minions.

Interestingly, the video that started the trend was made by Bill Hirst, an 18-year-old Australian teenager from Sydney. His TikTok from 15 of his friends viewing of the film in Chatswood Sydney has been viewed more than 36.5 million times.

Speak with American magazine VarietyHirst said it was all “just for fun” after he and his friends spotted another group of guys on TikTok dressing up in formal suits for the movies.

“We just put on our suits and went straight to the cinemas,” he said. “It was very spontaneous.”

And they definitely boosted ticket sales, with the movie crushing cash register records al. It cost $8.2 million at the box office over the weekend in Australia, easily surpassing Elvis and Top Gun. While in the US, the film grossed a whopping $182 million in ticket sales for its four-day opening weekend, according to Universal.

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“Totally ruined the movie!”

While some parents are praising the trend and calling it “innocent fun”, not everyone is happy, including parents of small children and the movie theaters themselves.

“It absolutely ruined the movie and it was meant to be part of my daughter’s birthday treat. They were getting out of the seats and running down the aisles every five minutes, it was horrible,” a Brisbane parent said on a popular Facebook group .

“They were throwing food all over the cinema, clambering over the seats and yelling and swearing, cheering and throwing bananas at the screen and really trying everything to ruin it for others,” another UK parent told me. “They may have had fun, but at least four families with small children got up and left. That’s the problem, not just a bunch of guys in suits.”

Another mum in London added: “We went on Saturday and 50 of them showed up wearing suits and sunglasses, cheering, yelling, yelling, you name it! They were totally out of order! They chased the shit out of my three year old who is now never want to go to the cinema again because of the boys.”

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Others were so upset that they issued a warning to parents of teens who might consider getting involved.

“If your teens go, remind them that young children love the minions and everyone should enjoy this movie, not spoiled,” said an outraged mother. “I couldn’t believe the condition of the cinema when we left. At the end of the film they all jumped on stage which is not allowed and dangerous and could damage the expensive screen!! I don’t know all teenagers are like that, but I remember a teen and pack mentality is real!”

‘Access denied’

Some UK cinemas have even been forced to ban groups of teenagers from attending, with vandalism reported and several notices being shared on social media.

“We’d like to remind everyone that we have a zero-tolerance policy on screen interference. While we don’t want to dampen anyone’s enjoyment of the film, if you disrupt other customers’ enjoyment, you will be removed with no refund,” said one.

Another shared on Twitter read: “Due to recent disturbances, following the #GentleMinions trend, any group of guests in formal attire will be barred from showings of Minions: The Rise of Gru.”

Others defended the teens, saying it was much more harmless than other TikTok trends and they enjoyed seeing the boys in their formal attire.

“I definitely prefer eating wax capsules or spraying deodorant on your skin until it burns,” said one parent.

“Shoot me if you have to, but let kids be kids. They’ve been locked up for two years and now they’re allowed to hang out with friends again. They’re not allowed to enjoy a movie because they laughed and giggled too much,” commented another.

“If teens have nothing to do, they’re making their own fun. They could be doing a lot worse to be honest,” said another.

“My 12 year old liked to dress up with his friend – didn’t cause any problems – enjoyed the movie – took a picture before going in and that was that!”

Another added: “We went with my six-year-old daughter on Friday night and a large group of teenage boys showed up in suits. Yes, they were yelling, clapping and cheering, but they were respectful and my daughter loved it and joined in.”

Universal, the studio behind the movie franchise, also showed its support for the #GentleMinions, sharing the following message: from his Twitter accountt: “To everyone who comes to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you.”