A mum says her teenage son and his friend were stopped from going into a cinema wearing suits to watch new film Minions, The Rise of Gru.
Youngsters across the country have apparently been dressing up in suits and ties to watch the new cartoon as part of a new viral TikTok trend. However, there have also been reports of young people misbehaving and causing trouble in cinemas.
One mum took to Mumsnet to explain how her 13-year-old son and his pal turned up in suits to watch the cartoon but they were not allowed in. They were only admitted, by a different staff member, after they removed their suits.
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She wrote: "DS (dear son) & his friend (both 13) had tickets this pm for Minions, Rise of Gru. Like lots of people per TikTok, they dressed up in suits/ties - just for fun. Got to cinema and were told they couldn't come in because of what they were wearing.
"DS called me upset and DH (dear husband) went down to see if he could sort it. Found 5 grown men standing over them and a few other kids, shouting at them that they needed to leave and they were not allowed in. Kids felt very intimidated.
"No dress code visible in the cinema or on the website. DH asked if they had misbehaved and was told no, we just don't like this suit thing as some of the people on TikTok have kicked off.
"DH pointed out, they hadn't kicked off, just wanted to watch the film, so what was the problem. Stoney silence. He took them outside, took their jackets & ties off & they went back in 5 minutes later and were admitted by a different member of staff.
"Is it just me or is this ridiculous? And pathetic for them to treat kids like that."
The mum asked other parents whether the cinema had been unreasonable and "out of order", and if she should complain. She further explained that the boys were following the dressing up trend from TikTok and added: "I get there are a few people that have misbehaved elsewhere but the vast majority are just dressing up. Fair enough to kick them out if they interrupt the film, but to not let them in at all is just silly."
Her post attracted a mixed reaction, with some saying it was "ridiculous" to not admit the children as they were not causing any problems. However, others said the cinema had a right to refuse entry if they believed it would prevent trouble.
One mum wrote: "There's been challenges happening on TikTok with this, in my ex local cinema 350 dressed up teens turned up, made a massive mess and nobody was able to watch the screening. So the cinema probably knows about this 'challenge' and are doing this to prevent it!"
Another added: "If there have been multiple reports of teens doing a TikTok challenge and distracting other cinema goers I can absolutely see why they want to nip it in the bud." And a third parent said: "If this is the reason then the cinema did the right thing sorry. I would imagine like most places they have the right to refuse entry if they think they will cause trouble or stop the rest of the kids being able to watch the film. Aren’t they a bit old to be turning up to the cinema dressed up?"
One Mumsnet user spoke about an incident where filmgoers had to leave because of the disruption caused by "teenagers in suits". She wrote: "Yesterday my mum took my young nieces (6 and 3) to see this film, she rang me afterwards upset saying there were scores of teenagers in suits who were making a ridiculous racket at every funny/inspirational part of the film, to the point that many people got up and left and complained - my mum also left as my nieces were getting upset, she got a refund from the cinema.
"She wasn’t aware of the TikTok trend and neither was I honestly, but it sounds extremely annoying and inconsiderate of other people watching the film."
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