Gentleminions may be a word you’ve seen circling the web and social media platforms within the past week, and there’s a very good reason for it. So, if you’ve wondered “what is the gentleminions trend?” We’re about to clear everything up for you.
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok in the past few days, you’ve most probably come across videos showing teenage boys and young men wearing suits to the cinema to see Minions: The Rise of Gru, the latest animated spin-off of the Despicable Me movie franchise. The TikTok trend has been dubbed, #Gentleminions.
What is the #Gentleminions trend and why did it start?
As previously mentioned, the GentleMinions trend refers to young men wearing suits and formal wear to watch Minions: The Rise of Gru at the cinema. They’ve started doing this as an ironic joke; the joke being that because these young men think that the Minions movies are bad, they instead dress up in their finest clothes to watch the newest instalment in the franchise as though it is peak cinema, which ultimately and ironically mocks the film.
Where did the Gentleminions trend come from?
Not only do the teenage boys wear suits to the cinema, but they also clasp their hands together as Gru does in the movies (similar to Mr Burns in The Simpsons when he says “excellent”) and some have even been seen to throw bananas at the cinema screen – bananas are the Minions’ favourite food.
The trend started in Chatswood (a suburb in Sydney, Australia), but it has quickly taken hold around the world. In fact, it has become such a phenomenon – or rather a nuisance – that some cinemas have started to ban anyone wearing a suit from a screening of the movie.
Why are cinemas banning the Gentleminions trend?
This is because some teenage boys have been reported as shouting loudly throughout the film, throwing the aforementioned bananas at the screen and just generally being disruptive. Some cinemas have been forced to give refunds to other customers sitting in the same screenings because their experience was ruined by those taking part in the GentleMinions trend.
An ODEON cinema in the UK has taken measures to curb the trend by posting signs to discourage anyone to take part in the GentleMinions trend.
Effect of the #Gentleminions trend
The global appeal of the GentleMinions trend could in some way be a leading cause of the incredible box office sales the latest Minions movie is experiencing. It is currently smashing box office records and has, so far, made over US$200 million worldwide.
However, it is highly likely that a vast majority of the young moviegoing audience is doing so just to take part in the GentleMinions trend and have little interest in seeing the movie itself.
In fact, Universal Pictures, the movie studio behind Minions: The Rise of Gru has previously tweeted its support of the GentleMinions trend. Whether Universal Pictures understands GentleMinions was created to mock the film or not, it probably doesn’t care, due to the huge sums of money it’s currently generating through ticket sales.
The Minions even have their own TikTok account (of course) and have previously posted a video that also shows encouragement of the trend, showing a Minion looking out of a window at a group of young men wearing suits to a screening of the latest Minions movie.
@minions Bobspeed you gentleminions. 🤵 #Minions #TheRiseOfGru only in theaters now. #gentleminions #gentlemen #riseofgru #mintok ♬ Powerful songs like action movie music – Tansa
Minions: The Rise of Gru is the second Minions spin-off movie and the fifth movie in the Despicable Me franchise. The previous Minions movie was released in 2015 and grossed $1.159 billion at the box office and is now the fifth-highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
If the GentleMinions trend continues, we wouldn’t be surprised if it surpasses that figure. Minions: The Rise of Gru was released on the 1st of July 2022 and is currently showing in cinemas around the world.
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