Imagine a family outing to the movie theater like any other. A parent drives their kids to the air-conditioned multiplex, shells out some cash for a large popcorn and corrals their family into the theater. Then an orderly line of twenty or so young men, all uniformed in suit jackets and collared shirts, march into the auditorium and take their seats as the trailers conclude. Then “Minions: The Rise of Gru” starts.
That’s the largely innocuous albeit startling experience that many moviegoers found themselves having over the past week. After a two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” finally hit the big screen and was met with resounding enthusiasm. The Illumination production shattered the domestic box office record for the biggest opening ever over an Independence Day weekend. Audiences turned out in force for the film, but some individuals decided to take their excitement a step above simply rolling out for a screening.
A new trend on TikTok and Twitter took shape over the past week, with groups of young moviegoers dressing in formal attire to attend “Minions: The Rise of Gru” in style. Dubbed with the title #Gentleminions, the hashtag has accrued 5 million views on TikTok, gaining such a level of prominence that Universal Pictures, the distributor behind the “Despicable Me” spinoff, issued a formal acknowledgement of the trend.
“To everyone showing up to ‘Minions’ in suits: we see you and we love you,” Universal wrote.
to everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you.
