Following the #gentleminions trend, groups of teenagers in suits and ties imitating the main character, Felonius Gru, and his signature gestures, disrupted screenings of the film released Friday in the United Kingdom, filming themselves and posting on social networks videos that have gone viral.
“Due to a small number of incidents at our cinemas over the weekend, we had to restrict access in certain circumstances,” said a spokesperson for the Odeon cinema chain.
The Mallard, the Channel Island of Guernsey's only cinema, stopped showing the film due to "incredibly bad behaviour" by some groups.
Cinema director Daniel Phillips-Smith told the BBC that these young moviegoers had "thrown objects, swore" and argued with other viewers during screenings.
An independent cinema in Wadebridge, Cornwall, The Regal, warned on Twitter: "we are currently not admitting unaccompanied minors wearing costumes for +Minions 2: Once Upon a Time Gru+".
This animated film, the broadcast of which was postponed by Universal for two years due to the pandemic, explores the origins of the franchise's main character who, since the first installment "Despicable Me" in 2010, has grossed 3 .7 billion dollars (3.54 billion euros) at the box office, according to the specialized site IMDB, not to mention the multiple derivatives.
Released on Friday in the United States, the United Kingdom and China, before a release on Wednesday in France, this film dates back to the beginnings of Gru, the endearing bad guy who failed in this saga who, as a teenager and surrounded by an army of Minions, seeks to integrate a group of villains, the Vicious 6.
Universal, which produced this animated film, for its part approved of the runaway, tweeting: "to all those who show up to the @Minions in costumes: we see you and we love you".
© 2022 AFP