If any movie released this year grossed more than blockbuster hits like Thor: Love and Thunder, Elvis, and Lightyear, then when people heard Minions: Rise of Gru was the movie in question, they’d be in for a treat. You will be shocked. The Minions films were an incredible commercial success, paving the way for the Despicable Me franchise as the first ever animated film franchise to gross $4 billion. However, this will shock teen and adult viewers, as this spin-off prequel has little to offer in terms of a deep and thoughtful storyline.
Simply put, the Minions movie, and many others, are pretty bad. The humor, animation style, and simple plot are made with the target children in mind. But pop his cultural trends lend themselves to bad movie novelties that become an unforgettable experience to enjoy with friends and family.
“If you can stare at a movie…it’s so silly that it shouldn’t take away the fun from anyone,” said film critic James Lee, who has over 15,000 monthly readers.
The #gentleminions trend — groups dressing up to watch children’s movies — has taken the internet crazy. A similar #morbiussweep handle caused the internet to laugh hysterically at the fake-positive buzz generated by the critically panned soulless film. Carrying, I was about to watch a terrible movie instead of a great movie. In other words, these movies are very bad, but good movies.
Outrageously bad movies with cult followings are nothing new. Tommy Wiseau’s The Room has been touted by many sources as one of his worst movies ever made, but it’s nonetheless a die-hard fan who would love to see the film’s tragedy again. I have a group of Wiseau’s 2003 film was intended to be a dramatic tragedy reminiscent of Shakespeare, but his artistic direction was so off-topic that today it would be considered a comedy.
The interconnected nature of the internet has made it possible for inside jokes to spread widely, which has led to a tendency to love bad movies, which has skyrocketed in popularity. Carving out a modern media niche is realistic. Audiences for a “so bad but good” movie are likely to go through the roof, and enterprising directors will see dollar signs soon. As long as movies scratch this itch right, it’s not entirely unreasonable for any of these films to join the glorious list of cinematic “classics.”
These bad movies have had a positive reaction across American theaters.Photos of more than 50 kids in suits in front of the Minions credit roll garnered hundreds of thousands of likes on social media. doing. Morbius’ mockery got so much attention that it convinced corporate monolith Sony to re-release the film, but it had a hilariously unprofitable weekend. These cultural sensations are funny, but more importantly, they’re bringing people back to theaters in the wake of an isolated pandemic where movies were largely consumed at home.
Now that weapons have been shoved and masks have been lifted, the pandemic seems like a distant memory. However, the isolation experienced during the pandemic can have lasting effects on mental health. More and more people are feeling degraded, making it harder for individuals to be vulnerable to others. It feels like perfect timing. These movies are perfect stress relievers in an anxiety-filled world. These days, it feels good to whisper with friends and eat popcorn while enjoying a movie unfolding on the screen. Even if the movie is terrible, the experience can make you feel the opposite.
Jayden Cohen is a freshman majoring in business analytics at the Miami Herbert Business School.
