'Minions: The Rise of Gru' Is a Huge Hit, but Does It Have TikTok to Thank?

Over the holiday weekend, Minions: The Rise of Gru proved to be a genuine box office smash, leading many to wonder what could be responsible for the film's massive success. Some are attributing the movie's outstanding haul to a TikTok trend that sees users putting on suits to go see the movie, and posting videos about their experience seeing it, but what's behind this new trend?

The TikTok trend around the The Rise of Gru involves teenagers, primarily young men, who dress up in suits to attend a screening of the film. The trend is meant to be slightly ironic, but the teens who are participating in the trend were children when the first Despicable Me movie hits theaters. What's really happening, then, is young adults are making a jokey special occasion out of the release of a movie they might have been interested in anyway.

It undoubtedly helps the suit trend that it comes equipped with the snappy hashtag "gentleminions," and that even those who aren't directly participating in the trend clearly enjoy watching these boys dress up for an animated movie designed for kids. The trend is also a tribute to Gru, one of the film's central characters and the man who has been part of this franchise since the beginning.

While the trend clearly works as a sort of free advertisement for The Rise of Gru, some box office analysts have gone so far as to suggest that the movie's success at the box office is at least partially attributable to the TikTok trend. The film brought in $125 million domestically over the holiday weekend, and an additional $93 million internationally, blowing past all expectations.

The trend may have promoted the movie along with the associated hashtag #minioncult, but it's likely that the movie would have done well regardless of the trend. This franchise has always been popular, and the kids who grew up with it have now aged into teenagers who are all over TikTok and are capable of seeing movies with their friends. Regardless of what they're wearing, plenty of teens probably would have seen the movie anyway.

Although those wearing the suits earned the support of Universal Studios, some individual theaters have banned teens who are participating in the trend because they believe it's a distraction to others who are watching the movie. Regardless of whether the trend is distracting or not, though, it's one that has been dominant around the country in recent days.

These kids likely won't show up to every upcoming release dressed in suits. Clearly, Minions: The Rise of Gru holds a special place in their hearts, and they wanted to honor it semi-ironically with a little bit of dress-up.