Cinema stopping kids in suits from coming in - Minions

[jackstini]

DS & his friend (both 13) had tickets this pm for Minions, Rise of Gru

Like lots of people per TikTok, they dressed up in suits/ties - just for fun
Got to cinema and were told they couldn't come in because of what they were wearing

DS called me upset and DH went down to see if he could sort it. Found 5 grown men standing over them and a few other kids, shouting at them that they needed to leave and they were not allowed in. Kids felt very intimidated

No dress code visible in the cinema or on the website

DH asked if they had misbehaved and was told no, we just don't like this suit thing as some of the people on TikTok have kicked off
DH pointed out, they hadn't kicked off, just wanted to watch the film, so what was the problem. Stoney silence
He took them outside, took their jackets & ties off & they went back in 5 minutes later and were admitted by a different member of staff

Is it just me or is this ridiculous? And pathetic for them to treat kids like that

I really want to complain but wanted the MN population to vote on if you think they were BU or not

YANBU - cinema staff were out of order & I should complain
YABU - don't complain

Good luck with the complaint, OP. It will give them all a laugh.

I wouldn't let anyone in doing a tik tok challenge either - as PP have said, there's nothing innocent about going in a certain get up to behave in a certain way in a film where small children are. I notice they're not doing it a Marvel etc film. Wonder why.

I didn't know anything about this until I read this thread. But under the circumstances I can see why the cinema would refuse entry to groups of that demographic, in suits.
It's a shame for the kids who wouldn't spoil the film for others, but given the number that are either throwing stuff around, or otherwise making the experience rubbish for the rest of the audience and the staff, the ban seems reasonable enough.

Of course it would be good if the cinema staff could a) make it clear via (at least) a large sign in the reception area, and b) talk calmly and reasonably to those that they cannot let in. But of course I imagine that many teenaged boys would not respond calmly and reasonably to them if they did.

This explains the teens I saw in suits yesterday!

I think it's funny - it's nice to see kids being daft, rather than the other stuff which goes on where I live.

N.B I live in a rough area - wearing a suit and throwing stuff about is considered good behaviour

My son and his friends went yesterday wearing suits, I thought it was really fun. Pmsl at the tiktok what's the world coming to handwringing. Just because you don't get it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. Teenagers gonna teenage.

As an aside, I'd have your 13 year old off tiktok pronto.

Oh, and in answer to the question in the OP, I would contact the cinema to ask them to publicise this rule on the website and in the foyer so that people know in advance.

Your teen son just happened to want to go watch a kiddy film in a suit during this TikTok craze?

And refused to leave the premises long enough for your DH to make his way down there and them STILL be in the foyer despite staff telling them no?

Yeah, you’ve totally got the whole story here.

Actually o think that's an important Novel.

Could you start an AMA about being a social computer sociologist (or whatever you said your job was?). I think this is an extreme,y important topic of conversation and valuable to parents.

Given the chaos cinemas have had to deal with for this tik tok trend they are absolutely right to try to stop those who appear to be planning to participate in it coming in. Sure, maybe some are ‘just dressing up’ but it seems unlikely that they are doing that with no knowledge of what else is happening so it is reasonable to assume they might plan to ‘join in’ in some way .

And it took 5 staff to deal with two nice kids.

Sure it did.

You think trashing a cinema, throwing food around and cheering and hooting through a kids film ruining it is a laugh?

The suits is not just the challenge.

@itsgettingweird I'll do it at some point, if there's interest. Probably not right now as I'm pretty busy this week and I'd want to do it properly and give careful answers. I'm a sociologist , technically - as in, I work in a sociology department - but my area of expertise is online culture(s).

I get marvellous recipes off it, new workouts, house/garden renovation tips.

there really is a good side of TikTok, I don’t have anything bad coming up on mine @Tigofigo

Did they just want to dress up and watch a movie or is there something else missing in the story? I’m confused as to why they’d be refused entry if it was just the former. However if it the latter and it is true that there is TikTok trend where people dress up and cause carnage, then perhaps it was the staff’s preemptive attempt to avoid any unnecessary havoc?

For anyone asking - get a tik tok account.
I have one for that reason (it's a ghost one, I don't post anything).

It's an eye opener.

The adverts of nice wee dances is a smoke screen for what is one of the most disturbing apps I have ever seen (and I'm no snowflake).

‘Teenagers going to teenage’??? What, and screw all the younger kids that have been waiting all year to see this film? And their parents who have paid extortionate cinema prices just to have the film ruined by morons?

'Teenagers gonna teenage' doesn't mean it's ok to trash someone else's workplace and ruin the experiences of other paying customers, surely?

Isn't our whole job as parents to raise respectful, considerate young people who embellish the lives of others?

My son and 3 mates have gone and done the same thing today. They got in but were warned 'no funny business' by staff.

Me and DD have just come out, the cinema was full of teens in suits, no drama though. DS and his friend went into a different screening in banana suits 😂😂

Hmmm, try getting the buggers off it though. I showed my teenagers the posts ...one said "K," one said "LOL," and one said "Bruh, it's not that deep."

Why didn't/doesn't the cinema put up a sign at the entrance saying people dressed like this won't be admitted? Then you're forewarned at the door. Surely that's the easiest way to deal with the issue?

About TikTok itself, that should be!

Fair enough to kick them out if they interrupt the film

Well it's too late then, isn't it? They'll have ruined it for everyone and it's not that easy to kick out a group of kids. For a start, there's no staff monitoring the whole screening (nor should there need to be) so it needs a customer to go and alert staff to come and deal with it then the aggro of getting people out and the rest of the audience complaining and wanting refunds. Wiser to minimise the risk and act on the pretty obvious sign that the suits signal the TikTok challenge.

I saw Minions today with my 9 year old. The cinema was rammed with teens so the viral tiktok thing is proving effective.

Families with younger children were seriously outnumbered. Which is fine in itself except - the cinema was really rowdy and noisy, two teens behind me were talking all rhe way through I would have complained but it would have really embarrassed my 9 year old.

It did effect my enjoyment of the movie, and my won, who has ASD didn't really get what was going on. I wish tiktok users had targeted at 12 rated movie for this sort of thing.