But without a doubt, the premiere will be remembered for the stir it caused in several theaters as a result of a TikTok trend called “Gentleminions”.
It is a call for viewers to attend the film dressed as the friendly yellow characters and get boisterous every time they appear on the screen, which happens in practically the entire film.
The trend led to dozens of teenagers dressed in formal clothes creating riots in cinemas not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is not ruled out that this type of behavior has been recorded in other countries.
A movie theater, faced with complaints from hundreds of people, had to refund about 1,300 dollars in tickets in one day, reported ABC News, which did not specify in which city it was registered.
Another theater directly decided not to allow the entry of groups of young people who arrived dressed for the occasion.
Some theaters went further and decided to stop showing the film.
“Due to a small number of incidents at our cinemas over the weekend, we have had to restrict access in some circumstances,” a spokesperson for Odeon, which owns more than 100 cinemas across the UK, told ABC News.
In one Odeon theater, a sign was posted informing patrons that “any group of guests in casual attire will be denied entry to screenings of ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’.”
“Genuinely the scariest experience of my life,” commented TikTok user @wixmovs, who filmed the scandal in the middle of the screening.
At Guernsey’s Mallard theatre, manager Daniel Phillips-Smith told the BBC he experienced “incredibly bad behaviour” from dozens of spectators.
He claimed that large groups of teenagers were “throwing things” and disturbing spectators and staff members.
Phillips-Smith admitted that it lost money due to the large number of tickets that had to be refunded. There was a “massive” financial impact on the theater, she said.
Speaking their own high-pitched language, these mischievous characters have developed a huge fan base around the world, particularly among Gen Z moviegoers.
When the film opened on July 1, Universal Pictures tweeted: “To everyone who shows up to @Minions like them: We see you and love you.”
The official Twitter account for “Minions” responded with the word “The Gentleminions,” referring to the trend on social media.
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” is the fourth film in the “Despicable Me” franchise, released five years after the previous “Despicable Me 3.”
The franchise’s eponymous “minions” are small yellow creatures who wear glasses and serve as assistants to the franchise’s protagonist, Gru, voiced by actor Steve Carell.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that 90% of the film’s audience is 25 or younger, and the tag on TikTok has garnered 44 million views.
By Ariel Ferrero
Source: Ambito
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