Across the massive corporate bulk of Sony and its endless army of well-paid professionals, a single question burns its way through every myopic discussion of marketing trends. Producers, wealthy financiers, and would-be tastemakers are tearing their hair demanding to know why their movie’s overwhelming memetic potential didn’t translate to box office success. Things have only gotten worse now that they have a perfect example of how it should’ve gone.
Sony’s latest entry in their underwhelming Spider-Man cinematic universe was a mild box-office disappointment that would’ve been negligiblehad they not doubled down. In its current state, the film is the laughingstock of the superhero movie craze. Meme culture, however, has moved on to a new target and aided in its meteoric rise.
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Those who pay attention to the ebbs and flows of social media meme culture have likely already heard this story. The new cinematic center of attention for this demographic isMinions: The Rise of Gru, the fifth entry in theDespicable Mefranchise and the sequel to 2015’sMinions. The film was delayed for two years by the pandemic, but marketing for its release never died down. One could arguemarketing for the franchiseis one of the most ubiquitous cultural images on Earth, with the eponymous Minions appearing on every conceivable product. The memetic reaction, however, has been a bit more unpredictable.
The current trend surroundingMinionsentreats swarms of gen-z TikTok fans to don their finest suits and see the film in theaters. While most of these debonair youths have been decent and civil, some have turned their screening into an unhinged rave. Some theaters have resorted to banning well-dressed groups of young men from purchasing tickets, apparently unaware of the effect telling a teenager “no” has on their ambition and guile. This controversial trend has increased the film’s public profile, while also providingthe producers behindMorbius’second theatrical run something to point to as their best-case scenario. Why did the memes raiseRise of Gruwhen they only seemed to gleefully help bury The Living Vampire?
The obvious answer is that they didn’t. If someonewere to delete TikTok tomorrow, it would likely not affect either film’s box office performance. The memetic response toMorbiusarose due to its perceived lack of quality and existed to derive fun from a film that seemed to lack any. No one was interested in a film about Michael Morbius, the trailers looked rough, and people are sick of superheroes. A no-name like him couldn’t fight the tide of fatigue, so people decided to have some ironic fun dancing on the grave everyone correctly assumed he’d end up in. Conversely,Minionsis one of the most ubiquitous brand images in the world right now. Kids' movies always do well at the box office, so aMinionssequel was guaranteed millions from a devoted fanbase of children and parents. Meme or no meme,the failure ofMorbius, and the success ofMinionswere written in the stars and beyond the power of social media to change.
Though the overall box office performance is barely tied to the memetic response, it is still worth asking why the hive mind gave the thumbs up to Illumination’s latest output. It’s not like this is an underdog story. Both filmsare big-name IP cash grabsbefore they’re anything else. Whether it’s trying desperately to tie an ailing brand to a larger competitor or putting out another middling kids' comedy to sell a few billion more toys, neither is particularly inspiring. The memetic response would’ve been fairly predictable to anyone watching social media and reading the proverbial tea leaves.
If there is one thing that meme culture loves to glom onto, it’s children’s cinema. TheShrekfranchise sits on an immovable throne from which it may never be removed. FromBee MovietoMegamind, there are countless large and small memes surrounding kids' media from the 2000s and 2010s. This coincides with the titanic force of nostalgia that dominates so much of online culture. Kids who sawthe firstDespicable Mewhen they were 6 are 18 today. The franchise’s overwhelming presence beyond the big screen ensures that countless kids saw these little yellow creatures every day of their life. These elements also tie in with the ongoing pandemic, which has kept many out of the theater. The desire to return in style is understandable and a trend that requires participants to make an event of their trip to the local multiplex is perfect. This bizarre perfect storm placesRise of Gruin an inconceivably ideal position to profit from meme culture.Minions: The Rise of Grumay be the greatest beneficiary of memes ever made, the only thing that could unseat it would be the theoretical release of anotherShrek.
At the end of the day, this remains a story about the blindness of those who make six-figure incomes to know what will be popular. Sony was too myopic todivine sincere engagement witha piece of media with ironic dunking, and they paid the price twice. The memetic hive mind is a fickle beast, but those who look within its walls can predict it. Maybe more producers should put their teenage nieces and nephews on their payroll.
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