The recent release of “Minions: The Rise of Gru” appeared to be an animated hit with both children and suit-wearing teenagers over the weekend.
As seen on TikTok, the long-overdue sequel has caused male teenage fans to dress up for the occasion and call themselves “Gentleminions.” The film, a sequel to 2015’s “Despicable Me” spin-off “Minions,” was released Friday.
In response to the fan excitement, theaters have banned those wearing formal attire to the screenings due to their disruptive behavior, Yahoo News reported.
Why Minions is crushing the box office. pic.twitter.com/IsFSW7Tkrf
— Rob Keyes (@rob_keyes) July 3, 2022
While the formal-wearing teens enjoyed the theater experience, the same could not be said for other moviegoers.
The TikTok trend showed the teens recording themselves cheering, shouting and clapping during the film. They can also be seen mimicking the Minion characters, which caused many others to complain to theater managers.
According to The Independent, some customers also took to social media to voice their frustrations.
“Absolute idiots ruined the movie for my two kids. They were upset by all the noise,” one said. “Seems the youth of today are an inconsiderate bunch.”
A person who posted one of these videos on Twitter said they “love being Gen Z. We have so much power.”
Others found the behavior amusing.
“I am living for all the teenagers and young adults on tiktok going to see Minions: Rise of Gru in suits, formal attire, or dressed like minions it’s so funny for no reason,” the Twitter user said.
Just people respecting cinema #Minions https://t.co/bWchBmhg0R
— Rob Keyes (@rob_keyes) July 4, 2022
Many movie theaters were forced to offer refunds to customers who didn’t find the joke cute.
One theater manager in the U.K. said they had to refund about $1,550 worth of tickets due to the poor etiquette displayed.
Another manager added that the disturbances were not as much of an issue as in other areas, saying their theater only “had one small disturbance.”
After customer complaints and money loss, cinema managers took matters into their own hands by banning anyone showing up to their theaters in a suit.
A sign in front of an Odeon cinema, which was posted online, read: “Due to recent disturbances following the #Gentleminions trend, any group of guests in formal attire will be refused entry for showings of Minions: The Rise of Gru.”
Despite the questionable behavior, the film’s studio seemed to endorse and even encourage it.
to everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you. 🫶
— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) July 1, 2022
If the social media trend indicated anything else other than customer dissatisfaction with the “Gentleminions” trend, it was that the film was a hit among fans, both young and old. According to The Numbers, the “Minions” sequel had amassed over $216 million worldwide in its opening weekend.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.