#GentleMinions has moviegoers dressing up

NEW YORK (NYTIMES) - Normally, when Mr Carson Paskill heads to the movie theater, he opts for a comfortable outfit of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. But for a recent movie screening, he arrived in a black suit, white collared shirt and dress shoes.

Mr Paskill, 20, attended a screening of Minions: The Rise Of Gru at the Century 16 in Beaverton, Oregon, on July 2 with eight of his friends, all dressed in suits.

"Anybody over the age of 25 was, like, really, really confused about what we were doing there," said Mr Paskill, who has 1.6 million followers on TikTok. "Like, 'why is everyone wearing suits?'"

The inspiration is a TikTok trend known as #GentleMinions, which has amassed more than 150 million views on the platform. It encourages Minions moviegoers to film themselves as they dress up in suits and sunglasses to attend screenings of the latest instalment of the Despicable Me series.

You may be wondering, why suits? The precise answer is elusive. Participants are also encouraged to accessorise with bananas, a Minion's favorite snack, or hold their hands in a steeple pose, Gru's signature pose.

The first Despicable Me movie was released in 2010, introducing audiences to Minions, the chaotic, overalls-clad yellow characters who speak gibberish, and Gru, the villainous main character voiced by Steve Carell. It was followed by four other films.

Teenagers across the globe, including in Australia, Singapore, Portugal and Canada, have joined in the viral trend.

Minions shattered box office records during its opening weekend and has taken in more than US$200 million (S$281 million) worldwide so far, according to an NBC Universal spokesperson.

Ms Jenna Jacobson, an assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University who specialises in social media, noted that Universal Pictures, the movie's distributor, had endorsed and promoted the trend, replying to videos and encouraging young people to wear their suits to the theatre.

"What's interesting about this is that it seems like it's an organic, consumer-driven viral social media trend on TikTok, but it may actually be part of an effective PR stunt that has just taken off," Ms Jacobson said.

Mr Paskill said that while he had seen previous Minion movies, participating in the TikTok challenge was the main motivation for him to purchase a ticket.

There have been reports of people being disruptive instead of simply looking dapper. The videos also encourage their well-dressed participants to clap enthusiastically throughout the film, which in some cases has gotten out of hand.

A cinema chain in Britain banned moviegoers from arriving in formal wear after rowdy Gentle Minions disrupted screenings. Other movie theatres have also posted warnings to those showing up in suits that they could be asked to leave.

"I think from most of the videos, it is largely an attempt to create a viral video rather than to try and wreak havoc," said Ms Jacobson.

More than creating a viral video or innocent chaos, Mr Paskill said the challenge gave him an opportunity to get out of the house with his friends.

"With other trends, you see it, and then you just sit in your room and do it," Mr Paskill said. "But this was like a whole night, so I thought it was a great time."