GRU MUST BE KIDDING! Teenagers told they are too smartly dressed for cinema
ODEON BANS ‘FORMAL ATTIRE’ TO THWART TIKTOK MINIONS
A GROUP of 13-year-old boys from Mansfield were turned away from the cinema due to their smart clothes.
The teenagers went to the Odeon cinema in Mansfield to watch Minions: The Rise of Gru, but were told to get changed or they would not be allowed in.
The Odeon cinema currently has a rule in place banning “formal attire” – and two of the friends in the group were wearing white shirts.
The move comes in the wake of an online Tiktok trend where people have been dressing up in suits like the movie’s main character “Gru”, before heading to the pictures to watch the film.
Viral videos have shown people in suits arriving at cinemas en masse, filming the screen and being disruptive. This has resulted in some cinemas banning people wearing suits and smart clothing.
But Matt Bingham, 46, whose son was part of the group of friends, said it was “discriminative” to deny entry.
“As a parent, I can’t understand why the cinema is categorising all children’s behaviour as the same just because some other people ruined it,” he said.
“I fully understand parents and children are getting frustrated by this silly Tiktok trend ruining the viewing of the film.
“But I think the cinema is managing it extremely poorly by putting a blanket ban on anybody who is dressed slightly smart.
“These kids didn’t look smart, some were wearing tracksuit bottoms with t-shirts on.”
Matt’s son Joseph and his friends had booked their screening of the film at Mansfield Odeon and arrived at 7pm on Saturday.
He received a message from his son at 7.40pm saying they were not able to go in because they were too smartly dressed.
He says the group were told to go next door to buy a t-shirt or jumper for their friends in shirts so they could be let in.
Matt decided to take some jumpers down for the boys and spoke to the manager about the rules.
He said: “I was a little confused because I didn’t understand why you needed a dress code to go to the cinema.
“We had pre-booked the tickets and there was nothing on the website. When we got there, there was a sign about a Tiktok trend.
“I totally agree with the cinema if that’s the case, but they should be managing it on an individual basis and not tarring children with the same brush.
“As you can see from the photo of my son and his friends, they were not dressed up wearing suits, they were just in normal smart clothes.”
Matt said the boys were confused and shocked as they could not understand why they couldn’t go in. The group ended up missing the first ten minutes of the film.
He added: “If people are causing issues in the cinema they should be removed, but we shouldn’t be putting a blanket approach on all children.
“It’s like if I went to a football match – do we ban all fans because a few people have caused issues? We don’t. So why are we stigmatising all kids in the same bracket as these very immature people who go in to ruin the experience for other people.
“If a group of kids come in and they are dressed in the Tiktok trend, I fully understand saying to them you’re not coming in.
“When you look at the photo of my son and his friends, they are just dressed in normal smart clothes.
“Nothing makes sense to it whatsoever. I think they are just discriminating against kids who want to go to the cinema to watch the film. They loved the film, but they missed the start of it.”
A sign in the Mansfield cinema says: “Due to recent distrubances [sic] following the #gentleminions trend, any group of guests in formal attire will be refused entry for showings of Minions: The Rise of Gru.” A spokesperson for Odeon said: “Due to a small number of incidents in our cinemas over the weekend, we have had to restrict access in some circumstances.” Meanwhile, Cineworld added: “All minions are welcome in our cinemas, but any who partake in despicable behaviour will be asked to leave if they disrupt the enjoyment of others. “Minions looking for a truly immersive way to experience this movie might want to try out our 4DX screens instead – it’s the most exhilarating way to watch a movie.”
These kids didn’t look smart, some were wearing tracksuit bottoms with t-shirts on. Matt Bingham