A number of UK cinemas have banned teenagers dressed in suits from screenings of Minions: The Rise of Gru, after a TikTok trend got out of hand.
Groups of young people have been dressing up smartly to see the latest Minion movie, but disruptive behaviour from a few groups has forced cinemas to enforce dress codes.
But why are teens dressing up to see the new Despicable Me movie anyway?
Why are teens wearing suits to watch The Minions?
Teenagers are ditching their joggers for smart suits to attend the latest film in the hit-franchise, Despicable Me, following the “Gentleminions” trend, which has erupted on TikTok.
The trend involves dressing smartly, grabbing a banana (after the Minions’ favourite food), and heading to the cinema to see Minions: The Rise of Gru.
The Gentleminions trend has taken off, with young people sharing videos of their outings on TikTok.
One video–which sees around a dozen teenage boys dressed in suits buying bananas before taking them to the cinema to watch the Minions film–has around 3.6 million views and half a million likes.
However, cinemas have taken issue with the trend. Not because they’re dressed smartly–or maybe not even because they’re sneaking in a snack–but because of some of the groups’ rowdy behaviour.
Some videos see groups of at least 20 young boys attend a screening, clapping and yelling and generally being disruptive within the cinema screen--runining the fun for everyone.
Are cinemas banning teens in suits from the cinema?
Some cinemas have enforced dress codes and have turned away groups of young people from the screenings.
A spokesperson for Odeon cinemas told the PA news agency: “Due to a small number of incidents in our cinemas over the weekend we have had to restrict access in some circumstances.”
Vue cinema in Worcester lost £1,300 when the manager was forced to refund the entire screen because of “kids shouting and mimicking the Minions,” as reported by Worcester News.
But Universal Pictures has endorsed the trend, posting on Twitter: “To everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you.”
to everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you. 🫶
— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) July 1, 2022
