This past weekend, Minions: The Rise of Gru went absolutely bananas at the box office.
What’s really interesting though wasn’t so much the fact that it did well, but rather why it did so well.
Enter, the “Gentleminions”
These are teens that have formed an international cult around a comedic bit. The bit being they ironically dress in suits and ties, see Minions in droves, applaud in unison, and document it all on TikTok to a rap track.
TikTok is currently filled to the brim with 160k+ videos using the rap, and to fully grasp the trend, you’re gonna have to watch one or two.
Did this actually impact Minions financially?
It appears so. Minions blew past its $65m-$75m projection, posting $125m+ over the weekend, and breaking a July 4 record set by Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon in 2011.
Unfortunately, hoards of unaccompanied minors can also be disruptive. (Who knew!)
- Some theaters in the UK have had to issue refunds to moviegoers, cancel future showings, or straight-up refuse entry to people wearing suits (though some have tried to sneak around it).
What does this mean for movies in the future?
According to PostTrak, 34% of The Rise of Gru’s audience consists of 13- to 17-year-olds. That’s up from 8% for the last Despicable Me movie back in 2017.
That means, with a meme, teens seemingly made Minions relevant for an entire demographic thought to have aged out of the film: themselves.
- For everyone from studio marketers to concession workers, it’s gotta be fascinating to see. Teens coming back into theaters? For Minions? Impossible.
But clearly, it is possible. And despite the “Gentleminions” trend being started authentically, expect studios to try manufacturing more trends like it in the future.
Whether that’ll actually work without the Minions is another matter.
