Twelve years after the release of Me, Despicable Me, the faithful Minions are entitled to a second opus which is entirely dedicated to them. Thereby, Minions 2: Once Upon a Time Gru released in cinemas today in France. And the enthusiasm of Internet users for this film has taken on unexpected proportions. Many teenagers and young adults, who call themselves the “GentleMinions”, show up at the cinema in costume. It’s the least you can do when you go to see such a refined film…
The Cult of the Minions
It all started in 2010 with the release of Me, Despicable Me, the first film in a long series. In this animated film, the main character, Gru, is accompanied by his faithful handymen: the Minions. These mischievous little yellow men, banana fans and who speak their own language quickly became cult on social networks.
For about ten years, therefore, we have been eating Minion in all the sauces. We were treated to covers of songs in their absurd language or to derivative products. On Facebook, users love comic images illustrated by one or more of these yellow men. Often, we have a sentence or a thought that is laughable but often uncomfortable.
After two parts of Me, Despicable Me, the Minions are (finally) entitled to their own film in 2015. We then find them in 2017 in a third part devoted to Gru, Agnès, Margo and Edith. In short, Minions fans have something to eat. Today, after five years without news from these funny fellows, Minions 2: Once Upon a Time Gru released in French cinemas. Something to delight many internet users…
When a meme comes to life
To celebrate the release of the film, Generation Z wants to do things right and put on their 31. Indeed, on TikTok and other social networks, there is a significant number of videos of young people in costume in a cinema to discover the latest screening of Universal Pictures. But what’s gotten into them?
To understand this phenomenon, we have to go back three years. In 2019, a same from content creator Fernanfloo hits the web. These are two photos of the young man. On the first, he is in his pajamas while on the second image, he is in a suit. Internet users quickly took over this panel of images to compare two situations and show the importance given to them.
For example, you take a major event where you need to be well dressed, like a wedding or your graduation, and a second event for which there is not necessarily a dress code but which you are looking forward to. Except that with this meme, you reverse the two situations to create a contrast and a shift. In short, to make you laugh. And at the same time, you show how much you care about the event that does not require a dress code.
— my uncle’s meme stash (@myunclesmemes) July 4, 2022
And it works. Memes of the genre have been swarming the Internet for years and they have reached new heights with the release of Minions 2: Once Upon a Time Gru in theaters this month. The discrepancy is even funnier for an animated film like this, which in no way justifies wearing such a formal outfit. It is even absurd. Today, the meme is coming to life and hitting theaters around the world.
To reinforce the yellow fever of these characters, many Internet users gather around the cult of the Minions. Same profile picture, same bio… Exactly like the Pessi phenomenon one year ago. A way for the younger generation to reclaim the Minions, who have colonized the humorous, sometimes embarrassing images shared on the Facebook pages of fifty-somethings.
Can a meme make a movie successful?
Inevitably, with such enthusiasm on social networks, Minions 2: Once Upon a Time Gru a hit at the box office even though it only came out today with us. For its first weekend in other countries, the film with Bob, Kevin and Stuart has already collected 200 million dollars. All in all, a good start. Thus, we can say that Internet users can really make the success of a film if they want to. One could therefore wonder whether what is currently happening with the second part of the minions will not push the film industry to create challenges on social networks to generate enthusiasm. But when it’s forced, it usually doesn’t take.
Indeed, we remember the masterful flop of Morbius earlier this year. With multiple memes “It’s Morbin’ time” who had filmed for a while on social networks, Sony Pictures had seen fit to bring out the film with Jared Leto. But the company was trolled and faced a second bitter failure. When it does not want, it does not want.
In the same vein, we already see many memes on the film Barbie by Greta Gerwig with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and the famous discrepancy between the pink and colorful universe of the doll and those who will go to dark rooms. Here again, the contrast between the film and its spectators is laughable. So much so that even the series’ community manager The Boys got on it Twitter…
Suit ban
If the trend makes people laugh on TikTok and other social networks, it doesn’t make cinemas smile as much. Indeed, as is often the case, Internet users sometimes like to go too far. So far, that it’s not really funny anymore. The “GentleMinions” are singled out for the mess caused in many dark rooms. Beyond being on their 31 and applauding at the beginning and at the end, some go down to shouting during the session and leave real chaos behind them. An indecent behavior that spoils a trend yet harmless and funny at the base. Thereby, some cinemas have chosen to ban the wearing of costumes to go see Minions 2: Once Upon a Time Gru. Who would’ve believed that ?
Animated films seem to be a prime target for inappropriate behavior in cinemas. Indeed, during the projections of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 in March, the spectators seemed completely unleashed. So much so that we would have thought we were at a concert according to some videos. Similarly, when the film Demon Slayer: The Infinity Train came out in our dark rooms, the TikTok trend that made viewers scream“Eren Jaeger” without any reason (especially since this character is taken from The attack of the Titans and therefore has nothing to do with Demon Slayer) pissed off more than one.
Still, you can discover Minions 2: Once Upon a Time Gru now in French cinemas. Without a suit, it might not be so bad.
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