Topline
Minions: The Rise Of Gru’s teen audience doubled compared to the last Minions franchise installments, according to The Wrap, a sign the #GentleMinions social media trend could have contributed to the movie’s record-breaking opening weekend.
Kevin the Minion, Steve Carell, Danny Trejo, Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, and Bob … [+]
Key Facts
According to data provided to The Wrap by Universal, 30% of The Rise Of Gru’s audience was between the ages of 13 and 17, compared to 11% for 2015’s Minions and 13% for 2017’s Despicable Me 3.
The hashtag #GentleMinions on TikTok—which shows users, mostly teens, arriving by the dozens to theaters dressed in suits and carrying bananas to see The Rise Of Gru—has 66.2 million views; #Minions has 9.1 billion views and #RiseOfGru has 640.7 million.
Big Number
$127.9 million. That’s how much Rise Of Gru earned over its four-day debut weekend in the U.S., the biggest opening for July 4th weekend. In one week, it earned $164 million domestically.
Key Background
The Rise Of Gru is the fifth installment in the Despicable Me franchise, which first debuted in 2010. Steve Carell has voiced the movie’s lead character Gru longer than he portrayed Michael Scott on The Office. With The Rise Of Gru, the Minions franchise has earned over $4 billion and is one of the biggest-grossing animated franchises in history.
Tangent
TikTok users have been fans of the Minions franchise even before the #GentleMinions meme. Earlier this year, the Pharrell song “Just A Cloud Away” trended on the app, with many users unaware it was made for the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack in 2013.
Further Reading
Box Office: ‘Minions 2’ Pushes ‘Despicable Me’ Movies Past $4 Billion (Forbes)
Box Office: How ‘Minions 2’ Brings The Covid Era To An Optimistic Close (Forbes)
Box Office: ‘Minions 2’ Breaks Records With $128 Million Holiday Weekend (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/07/08/teen-audience-doubles-for-latest-minions-movie-as-gentleminions-tiktok-trends-drives-ticket-sales/