Why Are People Wearing Suits To 'Minions: The Rise Of Gru' And What Are All The Memes About? (2024)

TikTokers and meme creators, among other Gen Z trolls, are showing up to see the new Minions movie, Minions: The Rise of Gru, wearing fancy clothes like suits, dresses and blazers and then rioting in the theaters. The broader internet has taken notice, and it's not because they look extra dapper.

There have been so many memes that ironically ask for Tickets to Minions: The Rise of Gru, Please and even a Yeat x Minions collab song has been released called 'Rich Minion.' Plus, what even is the Minion Cult and why are people leaving "10/10" reviews on IMDb?

What is with all the viral marketing and memes surrounding this Despicable Me spin-off? Now that it's July and the movie's officially released, let's explain all the hype (and memes).

Why Are There Memes About Buying Tickets To Minions: The Rise Of Gru?

Leading up to the film, there have been a lot of jokes on Twitter and elsewhere about buying tickets for the new Minions movie. This satirical practice of asking for Tickets To X, Please dates back much further than this 2022 children's movie.

It all started in 2019 when Joaquin Phoenix's Joker was accumulating hype. Like many memes, Tickets To Joker, Please started on 4chan with a not-so PC joke about the Columbine shooters asking for two tickets.

It grew to be a rather innocent meme that still revolved around incel discourse, similar to the general themes of the Joker movie. However, it's since been related to many more movies and subcultures like the upcoming Barbie and now The Rise Of Gru.

These more recent "Minions Ticket" jokes started on TikTok at the beginning of this year. Video creators thought it'd be funny to showcase sigma male characters like Walter White and GigaChad asking for tickets to the silly movie. The idea proved to be fruitful, spreading to multiple social media platforms and boosting excitement for the movie.

Why Is There A Yeat Song Called "Rich Minion?"

Hip-hop heads and proponents of the "TikTokification" of popular music were generally shocked to discover notable rapper Yeat actually made a song in collaboration with Illumination studios. The song titled 'Rich Minion' was officially released on June 29th, 2022, but keen internet users were aware of the prospect much sooner.

On June 16th, 2022, Cole Bennett, also known as the head of rap label Lyrical Lemonade, posted a tweet that gave the initial hint. After receiving a reply from the official Minions Twitter, people started to believe the far-fetched narrative.

A snippet of the song was leaked by both Yeat and Lyrical Lemonade on Instagram Stories and TikTok a week later, leading to many creators using the sound in their "Tickets To Minions" video memes. It started to become the official anthem of the upcoming movie despite not releasing until two days prior to its July 1st release.

Now that the song is out, many online are poking fun at its lyrics, samples and overall vibe. Some are wondering why Yeat would turn down an XXL Freshman feature but accept a Bob and Kevin feature. Regardless, the song's proven to be vital in acquiring the alt-Gen Z demographic, being a key factor for the film's box office success.

What Is The "Minion Cult" or "Moonians?"

Minions profile pictures have taken over TikTok this month in anticipation of the movie, and that's pretty much what the Minion Cult is. Of course, there was a precursor "Minion Cult" using Snapchat and Bitmojis, but the Moonians of TikTok are something completely different.

It all started in May 2022 when a TikToker named @hutchbucketz tried to build enough clout to earn free tickets to the Rise Of Gru premiere. He was already known for wearing a Minions costume in most of his videos, so it seemed like a logical next step.

His attempt was, ultimately, a failure. However, he did succeed in taking the perfect screenshot of himself holding what looked like the moon. He urged his followers to use the image for their profile pictures and subsequently created the "Minion Cult."

Why Are People Wearing Fancy Clothes To See Minions: The Rise Of Gru?

All this ironic hype about the Minions: The Rise Of Gru movie started on TikTok, but now, other platforms are starting to notice what's happening with the subculture. The one aspect of the ironic hype that seems to be seeping onto Instagram and Reddit is curiosity regarding why so many people are wearing suits and ties to the Minions premiere?

As seen through the progression of The Rise Of Gru memes already highlighted, the practice of wearing fancy outfits to the theater is an extension of the Tickets To X, Please meme, as well as a reference to the Fernanfloo Dresses Up / My Wife's Funeral meme template. Due to TikTokers associating the purchase of Minions tickets to being a Chad, the logical next step was wearing suits to see the movie, like a proper gentleman.

This satirical idea was present in video content before the movie, and now that it's released, people are actually manifesting the meme in real life.

What Are "Gentleminions?"

'Gentleminions' defines the young men are who are wearing suits to The Rise of Gru. Their gentlemanly attire and devotion to the Minions franchise is being noticed by Kevin in satirical TikTok videos about the phenomenon.

Why Are People Leaving 10/10 Reviews On IMDb?

Other internet people have noticed an uptick in excessively positive reviews of The Rise Of Gru movie being posted on IMDb. One user named FirstNameLastName24 wrote, "Never has a film filled me with such raw emotion. Never has a film made me question everything I thought I knew and loved." They later went on to namedrop Morbius, claiming, "Minions: Rise of Gru is truly the greatest film ever made, dare I say, better than Morbius even."

The idea of a Morbius Sweep happening with The Rise Of Gru is palpable at this point. Of course, movies have always been easy to make memes about, however, films like Morbius have shown that satirical, unfounded adoration can make a bad movie into a profitable one.

Who knows if Minions: The Rise Of Gru will be terrible or not. The only thing that seems to matter for the executives right now is that they're receiving free, viral marketing that's expanded across demographics, infiltrated memes and generated positive reviews.

Why Are There Riots And Mosh Pits Happening At Minions: The Rise Of Gru?

High schoolers and young adults are showing up to The Rise Of Gru to fight, throw sodas and, overall, just disrupt the theater with loud hooting, hollering and profanties. It's absurd and it's unknown why this phenomenon is happening. Of course, it seems to be a factor of the entire ironic hype surrounding the movie. These rioters are often all part of the same posse, buying tickets for the late show times and filling up the seats with suited-up 15-year-olds. It's gotten so crazy that police are coming to kick everyone out of the theaters.

Videos of these riots and tomfoolery are being recorded and posted to TikTok by both the perpetrators and the helpless victims. They're spreading across platforms as the internet collectively shakes its head at the, let's just say, despicable acts. It is objectively funny, however. Let's just hope that no toddlers are getting slushies thrown at them and the arrests stay at a minimum.

If you want to learn more about the movie and its memes, check out our entry on Minions: The Rise of Gru here.