Minions: The Rise of Gru: Movie theaters to ban teens copying the Gentleminions TikTok trend

Last Updated on November 27, 2023

I honestly didn’t know this was a thing until late last night but I guess it’s a trend that’s getting to the point where it’s garnering complaints for its disruptive and rude behavior. Teens have been dressing in suits and attending screenings of Minions: The Rise of Gru to celebrate its release with the hashtag Gentleminions trending on TikTok, and while it seems harmless, I guess those not versed in what’s going on with Gen Z are a bit annoyed by it enough to ban it.

The #Gentleminions went viral once the film was released and it involves groups of teens turning up dressed in suits and imitating Gru at screenings. The trend is said to celebrate the five-year wait for the film since the release of Despicable Me 3. There’s no doubt that many teenagers are jumping on this to gain TikTok followers but it seems so innocent that I can’t possibly understand why some theaters would want to ban it. Especially after the film crushed the Fourth of July box office with a four-day gross of $125.2 million. That’s good news for movie theaters. Let these kids wear their suits. You can check out an example of the trend below!

Despite the innocence of the trend, reports from movie theaters across the UK, via BBC, claim that groups mimicking the trend are causing unwanted disruption and that in many instances, it has ruined the experience of seeing the film for the young target audience. Several locations had to issue a large number of refunds to families that were disappointed by their theatrical experience. In more serious cases, the groups partaking in the trend have been called out for “stunningly bad behavior” which included persistent standing and cheering during the movie and throwing objects at the screen. There are also reports of some of the groups being verbally abusive to the staff and committing acts of vandalism. It got so bad at a movie theater in Guernsey that they had to suspend all future screenings of the movie and other locations are banning those engaging in the trend entirely.

It should be noted that most of the reported trends appear to be very friendly and innocent. A lot of moviegoers are reporting positive experiences about it across social media and it would appear that the more obnoxious people choosing to do this are few and far between. Is this why we can’t have nice things? My parents would’ve loved it if I went anywhere in a suit as a teenager. If anything this shows the power of TikTok and the overall marketing appeal of this franchise. For those shocked by its impressive box office performance, we’ve just been given one extra reason not to be.

What are YOUR thoughts on the GentleMinions TikTok trend getting on a ban list?