Gentleminions trend: why are people wearing suits to Minions: Rise of Gru - bizarre TikTok trend explained

Some UK cinemas are not permitting groups of young people wearing suits during screenings of Minions: The Rise Of Gru.

The move was made in response to complaints about certain teenage moviegoers’ boisterous behaviour after a trend went viral on the social media app TikTok.

The trend involves large groups of teenagers, who go by the moniker "The Gentleminions”, recording themselves in suits as they watch the most recent instalment of the Despicable Me movie.

Here is everything you need to know.

How did the trend start?

The trend’s genesis is unknown, but entleminions videos depict dressed-up groups going to the movies and mimicking the primary villain, Felonius Gru, with a distinctive hand motion.

Groups can be seen rejoicing that "the five-year wait is over" in the videos, which have received millions of views on the app.

Minions: The Rise of Gru is the sequel to the spin-off prequel, 2015’s Minions and the fifth entry overall in the Despicable Me franchise.

After being delayed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Minions: The Rise of Gru was released on 1 July 2022.

Some even bring bananas, the preferred snack of Gru’s yellow helpers, the Minions, to munch on while watching the films.

Why have suits been banned?

Some of the viral films show participants enthusiastically applauding and clapping while being disruptive during screenings, which has prompted some UK theatres to impose dress codes.

In Wadebridge, Cornwall, a small independent theatre has a policy against letting unattended children in suits see the movie.

In a statement posted on Twitter, The Regal wrote: “We are currently not admitting unaccompanied children wearing suits for ‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’.

“This is due to the issues we have encountered over the last two days and its associated behaviour.”

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.”

The film’s producer, Universal Pictures, tweeted, "to everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you," endorsing the #gentleminions movement.

The popular TikTok trend that accompanied the film’s release has been credited with helping Minions: The Rise Of Gru to record-breaking box office takings across the world.

Why might the trend land cinemas in hot water?

Cinemas have also expressed concerns that the trend may land them in trouble with the law.

Copyright rules are broken when footage is recorded of the movie, and cinema managers owners could be held liable.

Andy Lawson, manager of the Central Cinema in Fakenham, Norfolk, was informed by the Cinema Association of the increased risk that Universal was observing surrounding the movie and even the chance that a video recording footage of the movie had been posted with the geolocation of North Norfolk.

“The problem is, perhaps this generation does not understand the issues around copyright and we had word from the Cinema Association warning about possible leaks,” he told the Eastern Daily Press.

“We could face potential business closing issues.”

This past weekend, Lawson spoke to moviegoers about the dangers that TikTok could pose, including the possibility of losing his licence if found to have violated FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) rules.

The manager claimed that he and his employees conduct screen checks before each of their showings and that they are closely monitoring the currently sold-out showings to avert problems.