Yesterday afternoon, I was out eating with my friends when a group of about 10 teenage boys in suits approached us and frantically said that we need to go and immediately buy tickets to see “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which is now the second minion-centered movie following the popularity of minions in Despicable Me 1, 2, and 3. Unlike my friends, who were confused by these random boys in suits obsessing over the minion movie, I had already seen a few TikTok videos documenting this bizarre trend.
While it is unclear where this trend began, TikTok creator bill.hirst shared a video that now has almost 30 million views and 7.6 million likes, filming himself and what appears to be around 20 other teenage boys going into the theater, saying “The 5 year wait is over,” referencing the last Despicable Me film that was released in 2017. In addition to the extreme formal wear that every boy dons, their attitudes are also extremely serious, with different videos showing the boys looking sternly at each other, shaking hands, and also politely clapping as the movie ends.
Considering that the Rotten Tomatoes rating for “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is 69%, as well as the obvious fact that it is a children’s movie, it is insane to think about the amount of people who are now paying to see “Minions: The Rise of Gru” in theaters, strictly for this TikTok trend. This is not the first time that movies have become popularized primarily through TikTok, but this unique trend feels as if viewers are trolling the movie— but ultimately still paying $10 to see it, contributing to the $116 million opening day revenue. While this movie was only released recently, it seems as if theaters are now packed with suited teenage boys— so you better suit up, and head to your nearest theater as soon as possible.
