Theater owners shout “Despicable!” to the hordes of well-dressed, banana-wielding teenagers showing up at theaters to see the latest minions movie.
People’s TikTok feeds have been invaded by videos of young men dressed in suits and carrying the yellow fruit, walking into theaters to watch. Minions: The Rise of Gru.
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But why?
It’s part of the #Gentleminions trend, which seems to be a well-placed bit of marketing for the cartoon that dominates the box office. Just before the film’s July 1 release date, the Minions account began promoting the so-called “gentleminions,” posting a video of a long line of smartly dressed young men entering a movie theater.
“Your day has come,” reads the text of the video, while the caption reads: “Bobspeed you gentleminions”, imitating the way the clumsy characters speak.
The suits are a tribute to Steve Carrell’s character Felonius Gru, the scheming boss of the Minions in the series.
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And while most of the teens have been on good behavior while attending screenings, it has given some cinema operators a headache across the pond.
A UK theater staff member told the BBC that rowdy moviegoers have been kicking up a ruckus and throwing things at the screenand several theaters reported having to dole out a large number of refunds after the customer experience was ruined.
Mallard Cinema manager Daniel Phillips-Smith told the BBC: “It’s been absolutely heartbreaking. We’ve had families that didn’t even make it back to the screen when we tried to figure it out, families that left before the movie started, and of course the the children have been crying.”
Odeon Theaters said I had to “restrict access” to the movie in some of its UK cinemas “due to a small number of incidents in our cinemas over the weekend,” Newsweek reports.
A TikTok user posted a video showing a sign announcing that he had banned guests who were dressed too well.
“Due to the recent riots that followed the #Gentleminions trend, any group of guests in formal attire will be denied entry to the performances of Minions: The Rise of Gru”, says the poster.
For its part, film studio Universal Pictures has been clapping back at fans, posting on Twitter: “To everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: We see you and love you.”
In any case, the trend seems to be working. Minions: The Rise of Gru made $125.1 million during your first weekendearning an Independence Day weekend opening record.
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