The GentleMinions Trend

If you are on social media site such as TikTok you will have likely seen the rise of the GentleMinions, the latest trend in the “behaving poorly for the sake of entertainment” style meme.

The trend typically involves a group of people dressing in suits and flooding cinemas to see the new Minions Film, Minions: The Rise of Gru. Now, if this was all that it was, then I doubt anyone would have a problem with it.

However, there have been reports, and in some cases video evidence, of these so called GentleMinions disrupting screenings by shouting, cheering, talking throughout, and in some cases throwing dancing at the front of the screen.

Now, before I get into it, I realise that there is a place for this kind of experience. The are screenings of The Room where audience participation is actively encouraged.

The problem here is that these are not specialised screenings. These are ordinary screenings that everyone can go to. There are people in these screenings who want to actually watch the film. Depending on the cinema chain they will have paid through the nose to do so. Therefore it is unacceptable, and shows a level of outstanding ignorance, for others to ruin the experience for everybody, and to see Universal - the distributer of The Rise of Gru - seemingly support this behaviour is maddening.

If they want this kind of atmosphere they should, in their role as distributer, arrange GentleMinions screenings. Showings which are clearly advertised as this kind of experience.

It should go without saying that cinemas do not want to ban people from entering a screening - The more people they ban, the less money they make - so it should show how much this trend is disliked by the average cinema goer that many chains and many independent cinemas, have decided they needed to start doing so.

This issue also bleeds into a more common cinema problem. People talking throughout, people using their phones - I’ve been in two screenings where people have actually taken a phone call mid-film -, throwing popcorn, all of which examples of behaviour that ruin the experience for everyone else.

If you want to chat, go to the pup

If you want to google the cast while you’re watching, wait until you can do so at home.

If you want to throw popcorn, go to the bloody circus.

It’s really very simple. Just show the most basic level of respect to those who are around you. Remember that other people in a cinema have paid their hard earned money to watch the film, and don’t want to have that experience ruined.

Basically, don’t be a dick.