Billy Eichner thinks straight people staying home had a hand in Bros‘ underperformance
"Straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros,” Eichner says. "And that’s disappointing but it is what it is."
Aux News Eichner
It’s no secret that Billy Eichner’s rom-com Bros didn’t please everybody—the intended purpose behind a wave of premature review bombs was to make that clear as publicly as possible. But after the unabashedly queer film underperformed at the box office over the weekend, Eichner posted on Twitter to take the heterosexual masses to task. According to Eichner, straight people “didn’t show up” for Bros in theaters, a turn of events he calls “disappointing.”
Eichner stars in Bros and co-wrote the script with director Nicholas Stoller— he’s also been proudly vocal about the film’s all-LGBTQ+ cast. He begins his thread by describing sneaking into a sold-out Los Angeles screening of Bros, an experience that doesn’t sound at all reflective of any underperformance.
“The audience howled with laughter start to finish, burst into applause at the end, and some were wiping away tears as they walked out. It was truly magical,” Eichner writes. “Really. I am VERY proud of this movie.”
After starting on a high note, Eichner moves to the negative stuff. Per Eichner, an unnamed theater chain called up Universal Studios and threatened to pull the Bros trailer because of “gay content.” Although Eichner says Universal convinced the chain not to, he also recognizes that Bros just didn’t have the opening weekend he’d imagined.
“Even with glowing reviews, great Rotten Tomatoes scores, an A CinemaScore etc, straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros,” Eichner writes. “And that’s disappointing but it is what it is.”
Eichner ends his statement with another call for non-homophobes of the world to see Bros—and specifically highlights the value in a big screen viewing.
“Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast!” Eichner says. “And it *is* special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen, esp for queer folks who don’t get this opportunity often.”
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My only review for Bros is that Eichner needs to keep that beard, it’s really working for him.
I’m planning to see Bros because I want to support LGBT+ films, but it’s also not on the top of my list of movies I actually want to see. I don’t know much about Billy Eichner but I’ve seen clips of him over the years and found him to be really obnoxious and annoying. He’s the main reason this movie isn’t higher on my list of movies to see. There are quite a few other movies I want to see first.
I thought the Billy on the Street stuff was entertaining, but his run on Parks and Rec wasn’t that great. I will watch this movie when it comes out on streaming, but I am no rush to go see a movie in theater right now (except if my kids realllly wanted to.) I honestly can’t remember the last time I went to the theater to see a comedy, I think it might have been The Hangover 3, when I was stuck out of town and had to kill 10 hours before my flight home.
His Parks and Rec character was definitely over the top. He’s good when he’s playing a more real person. I liked him in College Friends and Difficult People even though overall I didn’t think either show really found it’s footing.
yeah, the Parks and Rec stuff was wayyy to over the top.
You’re going to watch a movie you don’t want to see for political reasons. What a perfect encapsulation of the absurd state of entertainment culture in 2022.
I’d argue you commenting on other people’s use of their free time is a worse example of this weird era.Your freedom is not effected at ALL by this person’s choice. Repeat that until you believe it.
I didn’t say I didn’t want to see it. I just said it’s not at the top of my list. Even if I was only seeing it for political reasons, so what? What’s wrong with wanting to support movies from communities we don’t get to hear from often? I may not be dying to watch it, but if it makes it so other movies from those communities can continue to be made it’s worth it in my mind.
There’s a demographic somewhere between active homophobe and not particularly interested in romantic comedy (regardless of the gender identity and / or sexual orientation of the characters who will be having sex with eachother by the end of the film).Honestly, outside of the “Billy on the Street” video – which told me nothing about the film – I can’t remember seeing one trailer or commercial for the film.
I think selling a romantic film to queer people is a hard sell regardless – I’ll be going to watch it, but I know my boyfriend has zero interest in romance films.It’s a genre that’s just not been there for us in the same way it has straight people; we get awards baiting personal trauma and violence, not meet cutes and dates that end in comic fumbles, gallons of ice cream and an over the top gesture in the third act to bring the two back together.The third act is usually the bit where someone gets AIDS or beaten half to death. It’s an interesting canary in the coal mine for a genre of film that’s long, long overdue, but I’m not sure a wider American audience is ready for it yet.
That is a LOT of resentment to carry around in your back pocket. You’re bitter about not seeing youself represented in comedies, and now a comedy comes out that represents you, and you’re mad at it over things that the movie has nothing to do with.
You spend multiple hours every day trolling a group of websites you hate. You don’t have the moral authority to be denouncing other people as “bitter”.
I think it’s also fair to point out that there’s actually plenty of gay rom-coms. This might be the first wide release one from a major studio, but people with active interest in the genre haven’t really been starved for them.
Have there been? Not all romance movies are romcoms.
Streaming services are filled with ‘em.
It’s fair to point out that nearly all of those are terrible movies, which is what’s frustrating about this – it’s a critically well received movie, with genuinely popular/”famous” actors in it.If you put this cast in a straight movie, people would go to see it.
If you put this cast in a straight movie, people would go to see it.
The highest profile member of the main cast is Billy Eichner and I can’t imagine any reason to assume he’d push a straight movie past a five million dollar opening weekend, or that any of the supporting cast are notable enough to move the needle much beyond that. Whatever strengths the movie might have, star power strong enough to put butts in seats ain’t among them.
Other than Oscar winning Jim Rash, the only reason to watch Community, (and the various worth the cost of entry cameos).But I’m suggesting the same cast within another movie, not the exact cast only, would pull in more – of course you’re right in what you’re saying that if it was simply the same but straight it would be just as underseen.
I love Jim Rash but he’s not bringing people to theaters.And neither is Billy Eichner. Now, it’s entirely possible that another movie with this cast could do better, sure, but movies with complete unknowns have done better. There’s plenty of good-to-great actors here, but none of them are inherent box office draws.Which makes this comment:it’s a critically well received movie, with genuinely popular/”famous” actors in ita bit odd. It’s not as though there aren’t gay romantic comedies with similar levels of “star” power… hell, even star power without the quotation marks. Happiest Season came out on Hulu less than two years ago (it was intended for wide theatrical release but, well, 2020) and that one has Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie and Aubrey Plaza, which stomps all over Bros’ cast (and as a bonus that one’s also directed by a gay person). And while it didn’t do quite as well as Bros critically, 82% on Rotten Tomatoes still ain’t bad.
Jim Rash is a goddamn treasure, but Jim Rash ain’t a big box office draw. His biggest success in the feature film space was strictly behind-the-scenes as a co-writer. He’s not getting people flocking to the cinema on name alone by any stretch of the imagination. And while “only reason to watch Community” is harsh, fact remains that it’s still a pretty cult show. If you’re hoping on Community fans, and specifically Dean Pelton fans, to make your movie a box-office hit, then your hopes are wildly misplaced, bordering on delusional.
Who are the popular/famous actors in the cast, haha?Like, it’s significantly less “star-studded” than “Set it Up,” which had half the budget and went straight to streaming – heck, even Zoey Deutch was a bigger name than Eichner at that point, and it was before she’d properly broken out.
My thoughts exactly. Gay rom-coms aren’t a new thing. What’s new about Bros is that it’s being marketed to a mainstream audience. Part of the problem with that equation is that it doesn’t seem to have been marketed well.
I did see a trailer for the film, because for a while trailers.apple.com had mislabeled the trailer as the second trailer for the movie Nope.It took me twenty seconds to figure out that Apple had made a mistake. Before that, I was sitting there, wondering how these mostly white characters in New York City fit into Jordan Peele’s rural horror flick.
Looks like an awful lot of people watched the trailer and thought ‘nope….’
I also…find Billy Eichner deeply offputting?Like, he’s actively a reason for me not to watch something, just based on his performance as Craig in Parks and Rec.
“I also…find Billy Eichner deeply offputting?”
This.
I’m not a romcom person, but he seems about as likeable as a Katherine Heigl character in a Judd Apatow movie. Why would I want to follow him while he searches for someone to put up with him?
Craig might have been the worst decision on P&R. He came in from a totally different show. P&R may sometimes cross into zany sitcom but he was all 1990s zany sitcom energy, not a real person.
Yes! And it’s not just Craig, it’s pretty much everything I’ve seen him in (which to be fair isn’t a lot because I just don’t enjoy watching him).
I don’t imagine it’s Eichner’s favorite explanation for the movie underperforming, but even as someone who likes him and finds him funny, I mainly know him from Parks and Rec and Billy on the Street, where his persona is super abrasive, confrontational, and annoying. So I had zero interest in seeing him as a lead in a romantic comedy, and it wasn’t until articles and podcasts praising his performance that I got on board.And despite this, I’m still waiting for streaming. I’ve seen maybe one movie in a theater since the pandemic, and if I’m not even going to see MCU blockbusters on the big screen, I’m certainly not going out for a comedy that I’ll enjoy just as much (if not more) in the comfort of my living room.
Not that comedians with annoying/abrasive personas can’t make hit rom-coms—there’s Billy Crystal and Adam Sandler, for instance—but even those guys had previous roles where they showed a bit of sweetness and vulnerability that softened their image enough where the idea of them as romantic leads was at least plausible.But Eichner? The guy whose schtick is being off-putting and screaming into people’s faces? Again, I like the guy, but even I can only take him in small doses. I had to drop out of Difficult People after a couple of episodes because I found him so exhausting. So my first thought when I heard about this movie was, “there’s no way I could put up with him for two uninterrupted hours.” It’s like if Sam Kinison had tried to rebrand himself as a sweet, sensitive leading man.
I loved Parks and Rec but hated Eichner in it. I’ve hated him in everything I’ve seen him in, because it’s always been the same loud abrasive character. About as much fun as a mosquito getting stuck in your pee hole.With the exception of playing Walt Whitman on an episode of Dickinson (which I highly recommend – it’s weird but great). He brought a lot of the same characteristics that made me dislike his performances, but in a manner and setting that worked really well. (That whole show was great, though, I can’t think of anyone that stood out as doing a bad job.)
Like, he’s actively a reason for me not to watch somethingSame. Another person I actively avoid watching – James Corden. He’s the only person who comes to mind that would put me off even more from watching this.That being said – if it were Billy Eichner starring opposite James Corden – well, damn, I’d have to check out that shit just to see them irritate each other …
this. he’s just not funny.
You don’t even have to go homophobe. I am a straight black man, how many black men do you think want to see this movie? what about straight white men? This is like the argument that WNBA players should be paid more but most of the people who say that don’t actually go to any games.
The following opinions come from a straight cis man who isn’t some kind of marketing guru or anything. I have not seen the movie, only trailers for it.- Ads for this movie had such a specific underserved target demographic, it feels like it would have been more successful on streaming. – Bros doesn’t just position itself as a romantic comedy that happens to be about two men. They put that “remember straight people” joke in the trailer, that kind of communicated to me that this was a movie by and for LGBT+ audiences, that straight guys are unlikely to get dragged by their girlfriends to see on date night.- Bros is a romantic comedy, and I’d wager the primary audience for rom-coms is women. I wonder how differently this would have played out if someone made essentially the same movie with two female leads.- I kind of feel like the real test would be someone making a movie that is not primarily a romance, wherein the sexuality of the gay male lead is incidental. Like someone makes a cool movie about street racing, but the male lead’s romantic interest is another man. Nobody makes a big deal about it and it is not the central point of the movie, cool street racing kid just happens to be gay
Oh shit, now I kinda wanna see someone make a reboot of The Fast and The Furious but with the Domenic Terretto and Brian O’Connor characters in a romantic relationship.
Okay, but how many commercials do you see? Like at all? I can’t remember the last time I watched live television — it’s been at least 5 years. Movies now rely on other kinds of promotions. Banners on websites (including this one), interviews, previews, buzz, etc., and this film had all that.
I mean, it was the fourth-most popular film in the US according to the figures. That doesn’t sound too bad to me.
There’s a huge drop off in actual ticket sales in the top 5 movies.
Hard to go see a movie I am just finding out about from this post about his complaint that no one went to see it.
Sounds like a you problem.
I’d say their problem, specifically their marketing team.
We’ll make sure Billy sends you a personal invitation to the next one.
Not sure why it’s my responsibility to know about the existence of this movie and not, like, the marketing department’s job to get the word out?
If they weren’t so expensive I’d be tempted to buy a ticket in support but not go. Honestly, the trailer just didn’t look good, and I’m not a fan of Eichner’s humor.
Aw man, you could’ve saved humanity!!
I mean, I barely knew this movie existed until the AVClub started feverishly covering it like, 3 days ago?There’s barely a mention of it that I can see before last Thursday.Maybe if there had been some publicity instead of 85 stories about Don’t Worry Darling drama? I’m not solely blaming the AVClub for the movie’s bad performance, but I didn’t really see any promotion for this movie anywhere.
I’m just one person , so its a drop in the ocean , but after all those excitable posts about Dont Worry’s drama, not only am I actively avoiding it , but I think I’ll be avoiding anything that any of its actors future movies , thats how annoying it was.*(expect maybe Chris Pine , guy is a damn fine actor and honestly one of the best voice actors out there)
Florence Pugh is pretty damn delightful herself!
You’re missing out on Pugh-Pugh-Pugh!
Pine, as usual, had nothing to prove to anyone and just sort of coasted along above whatever the hell was happening with that production. Even Harry Styles spitting on him (maybe?) didn’t raise an eyebrow. Everyone else involved except Pugh looked like idiots.
I’ve seen a ton of trailers for it on TV.
I figured maybe that was the case, I don’t watch too much content with commercials, but for most upcoming major studio films, I see press coverage, ads on YouTube videos, or ads playing randomly on websites, etc. I haven’t seen any of that for Bros until the last few days, which feels too little too late.
Huge ad campaign here. I want to see it for the Jodi Foster/Blue Whale joke. That’s… all I want to see it for, though.
I have seen it mentioned here numerous times and saw a trailer as an ad before a youtube video. Not my kind of movie, I am a guy and not into romcom’s. But it is a movie aimed at a VERY narrow audience so of course it’s not going to do well.
I did a search of AVClub articles and while it’s been mentioned A LOT since Thursday, I could not find anything about it before then, and Thursday is cutting it a little close to start promo for an opening weekend.
VERY narrow audience??? Why are there so many people in this comment section acting like LGBTQ+ people are this insanely small, niche market? You’re all just outing yourselves as just straight up not associating with any gay people.
Not at all. But the LGBTQ crowd is very small compared to the population in general. I know plenty of LGBTQ people, shit I am an usher in my buddies wedding to his future husband. But he is explicitly blaming straight people for his movie not performing like he wanted it to.
Eichner is a boomer who thinks sexuality either is gay/straight. His messaging for this movie sounded like every old white man who ever yelled at clouds.
I think he’s amusing in short doses but most people I know find him incredibly annoying.
He’s right.America simply isn’t going to go and watch this movie in droves, I’m amazed it went for such a bold release strategy.It’s out here in the UK at the end of the month, and I’ll be grabbing my ticket (mostly to watch Jim Rash have a meltdown over bi visibility – that moment of the trailer sold the whole film to me), I don’t think theatrically it will do much better here.I wasn’t aware of Billy Eichner before this, I’ve read that he’s a rather marmite personality, but I’ve not bothered to check out anything else he’s done (never been a fan of man on the street stuff).
A million people attended the Pride parade in my city this year. If all of them bought tickets, the box-office would’ve tripled, and that’s just one city. The problem isn’t that there aren’t enough LGBT+ and allies, it’s that nobody wanted to see this particular movie.
And that exactly speaks to what I said – America, at its core is a fundamentalist country – sure, 1 million people went to a Pride, which means you’re in Chicago, San Fran, or New York – not exactly Middle America.Travel inwards from any of those locations and the marches get smaller, if they happen at all.It’s not even about allies at this point, it’s about people simply not wanting to engage in the type of movie for reasons mostly embedded deep within the core values of America.
Judging from the reviews, it sounds like this is one that will build an audience over time. Audiences seem to love it.My own reasons for not seeing it personally are two fold —(1) I’m out of the habit of going to see anything. Covid damn near killed my relationship with going to the movie theater to watch a movie. I’m not even worried about getting covid — its just that I found I like my home theater set up almost as much and it’s much less hassle for me (no babysitter needed, etc). If I didn’t go to see Top Gun, what chance does this movie have to get me out to the theater? If you ask me, every movie should have a $20 or $30 streaming option. Bros might have made a lot more money if the barrier to entry weren’t “go to a movie theater”. I can see a bunch of people streaming on a weeknight based on word of mouth.(2) It’s a rom com — the fact that it is a gay rom com versus a straight one lends it some interest, but this just isn’t my genre. There are very few movies I like in this genre period. Perhaps the audience was limited because it is a rom com (and explicitly marketed as such). How many successful rom coms have there been in recent years? I just looked up a list of recent ones and saw an article that “crazy Rich Asians” was only the 5th rom com since 2009 to break $100 million. Rom coms are the domain of streaming these days.I’d love to see more representation in Hollywood and I’m supportive of those efforts, but I’m not likely to go out to a theater to see a movie for those reasons alone.
Shocking that the ‘if you don’t see my movie you’re a homophobic bigot who voted for Trump’ ad campaign isn’t working
There was potentially an option to do a more positive campaign around helping/promoting the community. For example, I’m no romcom person myself but I made sure to see Crazy Rich Asians opening weekend because I’m Asian and knew it was the first major studio picture with a majority Asian cast in over 20 years.However, I honestly don’t know that it would have worked. Although there is certainly room to improve, white gay men are represented far more on screen than many other groups, and while Eichner may not like the way they are being portrayed, some of those depressing movies featuring straight actors are being made by gay filmmakers (for example, A Single Man, or Ryan Murphy’s take on the Versace murder). Hard to say what makes this particular movie groundbreaking and essential to see.
[Crazy Rich Asians] was the first major studio picture with a majority Asian cast in over 20 years.Wait, what? I’m not for a moment suggesting it isn’t a rare and notable occurrence, but Memoirs of a Geisha was “only” 13 years prior. And if you don’t exclude them because the leads weren’t Asian, but The Last Samurai and The Karate Kid remake were less than 20 years before Crazy Rich Asians too. I’m probably forgetting others (Rush Hour 2 maybe? That was the one set in Hong Kong, right?).
Many articles at the time stated that Crazy Rich Asians had the highest level of Asian representation seen since Joy Luck Club 25 years prior. Here’s one example: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/09/movies/joy-luck-club-crazy-rich-asians.html I definitely would not compare Crazy Rich Asians to a movie with a non-Asian lead.
Ah, Asian-American specifically, that would eliminate my examples. Although it still might be stretching the truth a bit (e.g. none of Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Ronnie Chieng, and Sonoya Mizuno are American, and I’d imagine that’s also the case for a lot more if I went through the rest of the cast).But, yeah, I wasn’t doubting that they made a big fuss about how rare it was. I just thought your claim seemed a little exaggerated, even if the principle is fair.
I’m not Asian and saw Crazy Rich Asians because of positive word of mouth. If Bros is actually funny, it will attract an audience either now or streaming. Eichner’s also coming at this all wrong. Focus on what’s universal about the movie rather than shaming people into proving they’re not “homophobic weirdos.” If I was considering going to see it soon and the filmmaker’s implication is that the only reason I haven’t so far is that I’m a bigot…well, fuck him.
Right that is a VERY fucked up thing to say. And blaming straight people is also really dumb. This a movie 100% aimed at the LGBTQ crowd, and the rom com crowd, so why are you blaming straight people for not seeing a movie not aimed at them. That’s like blaming a horror movie not doing well because people who don’t like horror movies didn’t see it. He just sounds mad he made a movie with a VERY narrow intended audience, for not being seen by a wide audience.
This a movie 100% aimed at the LGBTQ crowd
So the thing is, WASPs saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding, non-Asians saw Crazy Rich Asians, and men saw Bridesmaids, all of which had similar “groundbreaking and important” claims with perceived “narrow” audiences. But those movies had legs (Billy really should see if the movie develops a following rather than immediately bitching a couple days after release), and their marketing almost exclusively focused on their comedy first and foremost. So much of the dialog surrounding Bros has made the damn thing feel like homework rather than entertainment, and people will accept that from a drama but not a comedy.
Do you really think non Asian people saw that movie in huge numbers?
I do also think romcoms especially have a wish-fulfillment element. Yes, people saw my Big Fat Greek Wedding and Crazy Rich Asians who weren’t that ethnicity, but I imagine a lot of women (the main audience for romcoms) didn’t struggle to get into the idea that John Corbett or Henry Golding might sweep them off their feet. Being in a gay relationship doesn’t have the same fantasy fulfillment appeal for a key demographic.
And yet The Birdcage was funny so this girl has seen it multiple times.
I think the box office there says a lot about the popularity of mid-90s Robin Williams.
Sure. This is the problem with fighting for social justice through diverse casting and diverse stories in movies: (to paraphrase a favorite director) making a successful movie is like catching lightning in a bottle. It is very hard to be sure why one movie does well and another fails.
Billy Eichner is no Robin Williams, is the takeaway from this
Sure. But is there ANYONE in movies today who’s as universally beloved as mid-90s Robin Williams? Any comic in the movies today with his level of success? I don’t think Adam Sandler qualifies… Maybe the culture is just more fragmented?
Also, the elephant in the room is cinema releases were already dying, pre-pandemic. I as a straight-man would see this with my wife. But we don’t go to theaters anymore. She’s pregnant now, so it’s also an issue of, we shouldn’t go to theaters (COVID and Pregnancy don’t mix). I have also waited the 45 days for each and every marvel film (Shang Chi, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man) to get released on streaming. The market changed.
I don’t know if I would say those movies had a narrow audience, save for Crazy Rich Asians, which I loved. But I don’t know if I would call those groundbreaking, again maybe Crazy Rich Asians since it was, I think, an entirely Asian cast. And Boys is ground breaking, an all LGBTQ cast, but I would argue it has a narrower audience than the others, just because it focuses on a gay couple. It might be a fine movie, even a fine romcom, but it’s hard to get non LGBTQ people interested in a movie like that. Plus his recent comments are NOT the way to get people to see it.
Plus his recent comments are NOT the way to get people to see itI understand that its his “thing,” but Billy constantly yelling is super annoying. I do not believe he would have his celebrity status if he weren’t gay, simply because he is just not very funny.
It’s almost like gay people, who exist in all majority and minority groups and are hated by all majority and minority groups and vast swathes of the country and entire countries/marketplaces, are different from racial minority groups
Eichner is also kind of…abrasive? Annoying? A lot? So he might not be the best cheerleader for the film
Men saw Bridesmaids for the same reason they saw Coyote Ugly, the trailers did a really good job portraying the movie as something it actually wasn’t instead of what it was, a chick flick. Bridesmaids was the better couple compromise film (applying a huge stereotype here) by far though, even with its weak third act. I think pulling My Big Fat Greek Wedding and into the conversation is a distraction because it’s not a romcom, but a family ensemble comedy and those seem to do better than all but the most popular romcoms.The funny thing is, I would have said the same about Crazy Rich Asians based on the trailers, but after skimming through it just now, the trailers did a good job of hiding that it’s a romcom through and through.
How’d all those examples do on opening weekend? Most if not all of those became huge after word of mouth got around. If this movie is amazing and deserving of crowds, they’ll come.
Well, yeah, which is why it’s dumb that he’s complaining now rather than seeing if it has legs after word of mouth gets out. A slow first weekend up against a new horror movie in October was basically inevitable.
I think I agree with you, and I think that we probably ought to consider the possibility that Billy has been played by his own studio here, not audiences.
I rather suspect that the studio saw a PR opportunity to present themselves as on-brand regarding LGBTQ+ allyship, and that’s a different thing to a marketing opportunity for the Eichner film which in all likelihood is probably very sweet and funny.
All of the promotion and conversation around the film centres, as you say, around its importance rather than its entertainment value, which rather frames the content of film itself as less important than its existence, and what its existence says about the people who participated in it.
men didnt choose to see bridesmaids.
And the thing those movie’s had in common is they had funny trailer’s that never made it look like it was only for Greek people or only for Asians or only a chick flick. Bro’s pitch was entirely about being groundbreaking,which makes many people open to seeing it think it wasn’t a funny or good movie.
Yeah, both trailers were incredibly impressed with themselves, but particularly the red band one. It makes the movie look like a victory lap celebrating its own existence first, a treatise on Gay Life In America as experienced by a small but vocal subset of rich white urban men second, and a rom-com somewhere down the line just because that’s where the “genre” dart landed.
I plan on seeing Bros eventually, but I consider myself queer-adjacent if not queer. The marketing of this has really emphasized the GAYNESS of the cast/crew/story etc., and a lot of the narrative has been in the, “Finally, a film for US!!!” vibe. Which implies that it is NOT a film for people who aren’t gay. I just think in general we’ve gotten to a point where we need to rethink identity politics because it is starting to feel like a dead-end street. Or maybe the issue is that this should have been a tv show and not a movie that needs a bajillion people to watch it to be a success. and in the few interviews I’ve seen with Eichner, he acknowledges that RomComs are kind of dead right now so….? Also, while I think Eichner is funny, this is the first movie he has starred in or wrote, so maybe he bit off more than he could chew? Or maybe it will have a cult following, a thing that happens to many, many, many niche comedies.
Yeah I don’t know, I am straight, but have a few gay buddies, going to be in his wedding next month lol. It’s good this is really pushing the “it’s a gay story” there isn’t a lot of that kind of thing in the mainstream. Certainly much more than there used to be. But he is mad that straight folks are not seeing a movie aimed at gay audiences like what the heck bro. But yeah romcom’s are more or less dead right now, so there is another hit for it.
I’d argue that because it’s a romcom filled with B- star power at best, the gay aspect probably gave its opening weekend a little bump.
You might be right. As others have mentioned romcoms are kind of dead right now, and I don’t think there is a single big A lister in here. I mean I am glad it exists, but I think it was doomed from the jump.
Dead in the theater, but streaming and cable is keeping them very much alive. We have four weeks at the latest before the deluge of holiday themed romcoms begin their assault.
Ahh didn’t know that, but then again I am not a romcom type of person lol. Maybe this would have been better going to streaming rather than theaters. But then again a film like this probably wouldn’t have been talked about as much if it went straight to streaming. It might be a fine movie, I don’t know, but I really don’t like him pinning it’s poor sales on the lack of straight people seeing the movie. As I said it is very much NOT aimed at straight people. He is just mad more of his LGBTQ peers didn’t bother to go see it, but he can’t SAY that.
Yeah, if he said that, they’d eat him alive.
I’m a member of the Queer community and, aside from it not showing at any of my city’s cinemas, it’s a romcom and I largely don’t enjoy that genre.Regardless of my community, I don’t have any interest in the genre and I’m not going to watch it purely out of solidarity when I’ve got a huge backlog of stuff I actually want to watch to work through.
Unless he screamed his point directly into the face of a flummoxed NYC pedestrian, and then ran away, did he really have a point to begin with?
I love gay romances (The Half of It. Watch it on Netflix) and I love straight romances. I love/hate romcoms (love if they are truly romcoms, hate if they are comedies with a lot of broad jokes, a la the poop jokes in Bridesmaids). I don’t think gay romcoms are only for gay people, but I certainly got a not for me vibe from Bros, because of the Apatow-esque positioning. No thanks.
I will have to check that out on netflix
Absurd strawman neonazi boy
Its hilarious how personally some people are taking Eichners statements.Hit digs holler?I mean… I didn’t see the movie and I don’t for a second feel like I am homophobic or that I’m being called homophobic for not seeing it. Ymmv, apparently.
Not even close to what the campaign was. But go off.
That’s truly a dumb parsing of his words and contextually disingenuous.
I agree that the marketing for this movie really dropped the ball. I was interested in seeing it until that first trailer, and I say this as a gay man who is desperate for this kind of representation. I’m still going to see it, but it feels more out of obligation than genuine excitement.
Isn’t this basically the approach that movies like the all-female Ghostbusters reboot took? “Go see our movie, and if you don’t, it’s because you’re a misogynistic dick who doesn’t think women should even HAVE their own movie.”
Didn’t work for them either.
I mean, he’s right in that most people are straight, so a lower than expected box office will reflect straight people staying home. And I get the complaint—as a person who tries to write inclusive content, I am so sick of people saying they want inclusive content on Twitter and then not showing up to BUY IT—but it’s not a full explanation of why the movie performed or didn’t.
Bros is marketed as Judd Apatow-esque and that is not many people’s cup of tea (and I imagine esp not many gay people’s cup of tea bc of the queer panic of the earlier Apatow films… IIRC). I had only seen the poster until I listened to Pop Culture Happy Hour, and the poster did not tell me “fun gay romcom.” It told me Judd Apatow ish… something? I assumed there was a gay for you plot in there somewhere with the title Bros and no thanks.
I mean, you can advocate for more of it, and be vocally supportive, but that doesn’t mean that I want to consume it.
I’m all for Bros doing well in theatres and for a primarily LGBTQ+ movie to make a decent amount of money, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to see it if I especially don’t watch romcoms. I’m not Laszlo here…
There are a few mitigating circumstances. The comment was a tongue-in-check response to a bunch of dorks review bombing the film, and is also pretty much exactly how I would expect Billy to respond on Twitter of all places.I hope the movie does well, because fuck it, gay guys should have movies that represent them and all that shit. Did I see it? No, but I really don’t care for rom-coms in general. It didn’t work, but I feel for him, and also, I doubt this tweet actually did anything to hurt the film. The people who weren’t going to see it had already made up their minds.
He didn’t say anything like that. He said he’d hoped non-homophobic straight people would lend more support of the film. In other words, straight folks who typically support lgbt+. Did you even read the article?
I’m both a straight guy and I ain’t seeing any rom-com by choice but I saw promo for the movie from him on TV and all I got out of it was “it’s gay” nothing about “it’s funny”, “it’s sweet” or whatever. I dropped cable so I don’t see too many ads these days, you get a chance to sell it you need to give me more than that.
I’m kind of hoping he was joking.
I love Billy, I am excited to see this movie, but honestly I just never go to the movies anymore. I genuinely can’t recall the last movie I saw in the theater. Maybe The Batman? It’s just not a thing I do anymore, and I don’t think I’m alone since the pandemic.
Yeah, comedies in general (nevermind R-rated romcoms) are pretty poorly represented in 2022’s box office, no one’s been showing up for much of anything unless it had previous IP.Separately, I know for sure the last movie I saw in theaters was Knives Out, at a Mommy and Me screening two weeks into my paternity leave, in March 2020 (WHO was declaring COVID a pandemic as I was sitting there). I’m not ready to go back to a theater yet (even if I had time where there wasn’t a tiny person to be shepherded all waking hours).
The “previous IP” part is big. I think the only movies I’ve seen since the pandemic started, in the theater, are things like The Batman and No Way Home. And I skipped most of that previous IP stuff, too; didn’t see Multiverse of Madness or Love and Thunder in the theaters, haven’t bothered to go see Maverick (even though I know I should, since that’s one I’m *sure* is better on the big screen), etc. And funnily enough, I also remember that Knives Out was the last movie I saw in the theater pre-pandemic, as well.I think I’ve been to the theater like, maybe 3-4 times since early 2020.
Same here on the movie front—Knives Out was our last foray to a cinema. The movie was great and the theater sucked. Since then we’ve been perfectly happy just waiting until what we want to see migrates to streaming.As for Bros, I don’t think Eichner should be all that stunned with the opening day performance. The film is kind of a first in that it’s a gay rom-com being marketed to the mainstream. Similar movies in the past were niche and indie movies and performed as such at the box office. My guess is when measured by that yardstick, Bros most likely outperformed its predecessors.
I’ve been to a grand total of one movie since Covid, but even before that, I don’t go to movies a lot. I can probably count on one hand the number of non-kid movies I’ve been to in the past 20 years. I would happily watch Bros on streaming or cable.
I totally love romcoms and Billy Eichner, but I don’t go to the movies at this point in my life. I will definitely stream it someday.
I’d love to be able to go back to a theater but covid closed the only one in town so I’m kinda screwed.
On the positive side, that early movie streaming phase made it way easier to pirate new release movies in perfect quality without relying on crappy cam rips or waiting for the bluray release :p
Also, there was a huge category 4 hurricane that impacted about 1/5th of the country over the weekend… so yeah… there was that too.
Everybody knows that if you’re not going out to watch a gay romcom in a stage 4 hurricane it’s because you’re a bigoted CHUD
no! Billy says it’s because America hates the gays! Don’t contradict him!
Yeah, same here. And I went to the movies pre-covid. A lot. But now…not so much. The turnaround time to get a movie streaming is so short that I’m OK waiting for things I’m not super jazzed about. I think Bros looks cute. I’ll definitely watch it when it streams. But I’ve not been enticed back to the theater yet.
Best I can tell movie theaters attendance is approaching pre-pandemic levels. Talking about this movie in particular, Eichner should be remembering that the vast, vast majority of rom-coms are directed at women and typically at least somewhat aspirational. A woman who likes a good rom-com might be somewhat interested in seeing Bros due to the romance angle, but it’s not going to hit the same nerve centers.
You can’t recall the last time you went to a movie but it’s been like six months? Come on now.
I saw The Hunt the weekend before the pandemic really hit. Since then, Thor and No Way Home. That’s it. Don’t miss the theaters and I just bought a new sound set up for my tv. I’ll be missing it even less.
Yea…I’ve seen two movies total since COVID-19 started; Shang-Chi because I had a random Tuesday off and found a showtime a few weeks after it came out where literally no other seat in theater was taken and Top Gun: Maverick because I was visiting a friend over the Memorial Day holiday and he really wanted to go see it.
Dune for me. Last movie “pre-pandemic” was *shudders* Rise of Skywalker.
Same … we see tentpole stuff but something like this we’ll wait for streaming/PPV/cable.The cinema experience is terrible. So unless it’s something ‘important’ to us, we just wait.
I went to see In the Heights in the theater because it had some big set piece dance numbers that needed a big screen. This doesn’t have that.
Yeah, seeing this, I wondered if everyone forgot all about the various articles over the past few months saying that the high-profile theatrical romcom (hell, the high-profile theatrical comedy in general, as great as a shared laugh can be) was dead, that people only went to theatres for big FX spectaculars, and that the romcom audience had pretty much abandoned theaters and waited for streaming, in those few remaining cases where waiting is even still a thing.
I mean, sure, this thread is full of people saying “I don’t go to many movies nowadays”, which is true, but it looks like 15 times as many people went to “some other movie” than went to Bros, so people are going to something.
Well then, guess that makes you a homophobe
I know what you mean. Pre-Covid I was going to the cinema 2-3 times a month, often more depending on what was being shown at any given time.Last film I saw pre-lockdown was Richard Jewell (which I quite enjoyed) in Feb 2020.I didn’t see another film at the cinema until the most recent Fast and Furious film in May 2021 and have probably only gone to the cinema maybe 10 times or less since (For the Marvel films, Top Gun and Batman).Otherwise, I just haven’t especially felt any pressing desire to. I don’t know how to explain it.
I beat you the last movie I saw in theaters was The Force Awakens.
I haven’t gone to the theater in a while either, not even to see any of the post Endgame MCU movies, which is saying a lot because I’m a diehard fan, but with this pandemic, I’d rather either buy the physical media or wait for it to stream.
Honestly, going to the movies is just becoming so ludicrously expensive at this point. Unless you hit a matinee, you’re talking $10+ per ticket, plus overpriced concessions, etc. For two-three people (using that number because I’m married with one kid, so it reflects my family) you could easily be looking at $50 for a single movie. And like you said, you can just wait for streaming, which most of us are already paying for anyway.
Yeah it is what it is, but it’s not surprising. I’m planning to see it (I’m not a “run out and see stuff on opening weekend type of gal), but he had to expect this. It is only in recent years that white people started turning out for Black movies. They shouldn’t be considered “niche,” but they are, and it takes a while for “niche” films to break into a wider audience. It’s frustrating, but yeah, it is what it is. That said, I am a bit surprised because this is a romantic comedy, so he shouldn’t have expected a bunch of straight men to run out and see it, but I’m surprised more of the female audience didn’t turn out, but also I don’t know how its opening compares to other rom-coms, so maybe they did.I don’t think he should turn this into “if you don’t go see this you’re homophobic” kind of thing, though. Some people just don’t go to theaters for movies a lot. I sure don’t.
White people didn’t support black rom coms in droves. Love and Baskeball, The Best Man, Love Jones, the list goes on. The only hit one I can think of is maybe Boomerang.
Also, it’s 2 hours long and stars Billy Eichner!If it were in the 90-100 minute range and starring Dan Levy or NPH or Karl Penn, I’d be much more likely to give it a shot in theatres…as is, I’d probably pick something else on a plane ride.
Yeah I don’t know anything about Billy Eichner. The name is vaguely familiar but I don’t know what he’s famous for, so I don’t have an opinion on him, but people seem to have strong feelings about him. I just think the trailers look cute.
I only really know him as Craig from Parks and Rec…and it was a strong enough impression that I wouldn’t watch this movie on a transatlantic flight, haha.
I need to go back and watch that show. I watched the first season, but it was terrible so I never came back. I understand it really improved so I should probably check it out.
Just skip the first season entirely. Not only is it fucking garbage, but it’s entirely ignored by the rest of the show.
Yeah it was very terrible, which was surprising giving the pedigree. But I’ve seen enough Ron Swanson memes since then to see that it turned into something I’d like.
The first season might as well be a different show. Season 2 was essentially a soft reboot.
Comedies in general have been having a rough time at the box office, and romantic comedies in particular have dwindled to almost nothing in the past decade. A romantic comedy opening small against a high-concept horror movie in the first weekend of October in 2022 shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
Yeah I should think a rom-com would bank it’s success on becoming a long-time beloved quotable favorite, not raking in billions at the box office. That’s just not a rom-com thing.
Comedy is the one genre where you really don’t need the big-screen, teeth-shattering theater experience to fully appreciate it. Well, drama as well, but people are more likely to want to be fully immersed in watching a drama relative to something just making you laugh. Then overlay the hard sell that is your typical rom com and yeah, I’m not surprised they’re not doing big business post-2020.
On the contrary, comedies are often immeasurably improved by watching them with a large audience laughing along with you.
The thing is, the “black” movies that white people are turning out for are really just movies with black people in them. Black Panther didn’t do gangbusters because white people suddenly had a collective moment of social consciousness. It did great because it’s a good fun movie in the Avengers franchise with a good director and good actors. That the director and most of the actors were black was incidental, and probably always would have been.Whereas I haven’t seen Bros, and have no intention to see it, cause all the marketing kinda summed it up as not particularly great. Meanwhile I have watched Uncoupled on Netflix, and I’d be much more likely to watch that in theaters cause it actually looked funny.
Black Panther is one example, but historically a Black movie is just a movie with Black people in it, specifically Black leads. Love Jones was just a movie with Black people in it, but because it was a movie with Black people in it, it was a Black movie. But make no mistake. Black Panther is a Black-ass movie, and it was 100% not just incidental that the actors and director were Black. That was *important.* That was a big fucking deal, and it was major that Marvel/Disney supported the making of that movie with those parameters and threw its weight behind it in a way that made Black movies more palatable to producers going forward.You say it wasn’t white people having a collective moment of social consciousness, and I agree to an extent, but I do think the timing of it was partially related to the BLM protests and the movement for racial justice in general. The country was showing some pretty widespread interest in and support for Black people, and it was a great time to capitalize on that with a big-budget, unapologetically Black-ass movie.Historically, movies with Black leads or majority Black casts were not expected to do well, and generally did not do that great, and thus had trouble getting made, because producers knew that the public at large would not turn out for them. That started changing with Black Panther, because it encouraged people to come out (due to the Marvel connection), and people realized…hey, watching a movie with Black people in it won’t turn us Black after all (or whatever it is they thought before that), we can keep doing this, and so producers learned that Black movies can make money (with proper marketing), and so they’re getting made more and getting more prestige.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t think it’s actually true that audiences avoided black movies in the past just because they had black actors.Producers said that, and some movies failed to catch a wider audience, but there were plenty of successful movies with mostly black casts long before Black Panther. Coming to America being a fairly obvious example among many. Eddie Murphy, biggest comedy star in the world. People went to see that movie. It was made in 1988.Meanwhile I’ve never heard of “Love Jones”.
You’re definitely free to say that, but then again, you’ve never heard of Love Jones, a staple in the Black community. I’m not sure what qualifies as “plenty” to you, but the number of successful Black movies compared to white movies speaks for itself.
Well there’s little to no advertising for it as far as I can tell. Also there are a lot of us who have exactly 0 interest in rom-coms no matter if they’re straight or gay.
Hell I don’t even like romance subplots in non romance movies unless they’re really crucial to the main plot.
“Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast!” I’m not homophobic but I’m definitely a weirdo but thanks for implying I’m homophobic for not wanting to see a rom com, dude.
Also there are a lot of us who have exactly 0 interest in rom-coms no matter if they’re straight or gay.All my gays (I have binders full) have zero interest in seeing this. Not because it’s a genre we don’t remotely care about, but … internalized homophobia.
Oh man I have some gay friends who would probably kill for your binders of gays!
Replace the b with a t, and you can download that on your phone right now.
There’s undoubtedly a mix of reasons. In my mini-sample of 3 gay friends I happened to speak to over the weekend, one saw it, one will watch anything Marvel/scifi but has never seen a romcom that I know of and had no plans to watch, and the third loves romances and the Hallmark channel but thinks Billy Eichner is too mean and also had no plans. And I’m sure gay POC, women, etc. may not find themselves in this movie either.
And I’m sure gay POC, women, etc. may not find themselves in this movie either.100%. I commented on another thread watching two handsome, white gay men find love is not high on my list of priorities.
billy eichner isn’t conventionally handsome by hollywood standards. I think he’s cute but he takes his shirt off in the movie and it’s literally the first time I’ve ever seen someone with a concave chest shirtless in a movie
It also has excellent parts for black and trans women! And it was funny and sexy. I’m not sure the last time I went to see a gay movie and it actually had gay people on screen with chemistry and I found it sexy.
I’m glad you liked it! It’s definitely something I’ll stream in the future. And you’re right, Eichner is not Hollywood hot, but he’s still a tall, attractive man paired with … a conventionally hot white dude. Which is fine! But also kinda *shrug.* I’ll watch for the black and trans women. 🙂
Brudda I think most people shares your buddy’s viewpoints on Billy being off-putting and romance being aight.
Women in general are such a massive part of the usual rom-com box office that one starring two men almost immediately carves out the biggest portion of your audience.
Are you implying that straight women don’t want to see a romcom with two gay men? Have you ever met a straight woman?
Ha, yes and I think some will want to. But a big part of the draw is the fantasy element of the movie, putting herself in Jennifer Lopez’s shoes.
Straight women like gay stuff in the same way straight men like lesbian stuff. It’s an idealized and fetishized variant that often doesn’t hold any actual appeal for gays and lesbians. That’s not to say there’s no crossover, but gay-themed media aimed at women and gay-themed media aimed at gay men tend to be pretty different.
You keep your gays in a binder? Wouldn’t they be happier free-range?
I know more than a couple gay men who are quite content all bindered up.
That’s cool, but you can’t make that decision for all of them.
Free-range gays? In this economy??
They made a huge mistake by marketing it as a “Rom-Com.” Movies like Bridesmaids, Knocked-Up, There’s Something About Mary and Trainwreck are all comedies with a romantic main plot, but none were marketed as rom-coms. Some people will avoid rom-coms at all cost. The main target for rom-coms, women, aren’t likely to be interested in seeing a raunchy comedy without a female lead.
I don’t think “I’m not into romcoms” and “I don’t like romance subplots” are unpolitical statements as some people here seem to think. People can like what they like but there’s a long history of people dismissing genres aimed at women.
Sure, if you like. I don’t like romcoms because they’re generally trite and badly written, but some people can dislike them because of sexism too.
A pet peeve of mine is when science fiction authors decide there should be graphic sex in their novels. The problem isn’t the sex but that they’re usually not good at writing intimate scenes and tend to either describe it in the same way as they’d explain an astronomical event or change the tone so suddenly and dramatically as to make the whole thing ridiculous.
And they generally stop the plot dead in its tracks for no reason other than titillation.
One that really stuck in my memory is a male author writing a MF sex scene where he has the characters seamlessly transition from vaginal to anal with not a mention of lube, lube nanobots, genetic changes or anything else that might suggest that’s not a good idea because the rectum does not produce much moisture and vaginal fluids are generally not sufficient. A line would have done it, it’s not like real life where you might spend a while looking for the bottle of KY.
No lube nanobots?! Must not be hard sci fi then!But yeah I tend to skip sex scenes in books these days, I’m not a teenager looking to get turned on anymore.
I love how people on here talk about movies not getting advertised or marketed when I’m positive most of you 1) haven’t watched live TV in a decade or more, and 2) have insanely strict adblock on every device you own. I’ve seen the TV spot for this movie dozens of times in the past month, as many or more than Smile.
Well hey you’d be wrong about the watching live TV thing, at least as far as I’m concerned.Though I doubt anybody’s paying big money to advertise a gay rom com in the redneck parts of PA where I live.
Billy Eichner is what will be keeping me away from the movie. And rom-coms don’t really entice me to the theater. I’ll catch it on streaming though.
“We didn’t make this movie for straight people, so why didn’t they show up in droves?”
Trust them…they know what they’re doing!
“It stars Billy Eichner? The unfunny dork who does those stupid street interview videos that get to sent to me by the unfunniest person I know? I can’t wait to not see this movie.”
All y’all owe me box office money.My bad dude. My bad.
I’m just not usually a fan of romcoms.
Apparently this sort of sentiment really irks the more dipshitted folks hereabouts.
It is what it is. It’s not the first time a movie has been well received by both critics, and those that did see the movie enjoyed it, and yet still failed financially in the box office. I’m still upset about Dredd, a violent scifi movie that was well reviewed by critics, had good reaction from audiences but was beaten by Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 2. Eichner is only partially correct. Common sense would say there would be a percentage of people that would not go see that movie strictly because it’s about two men. But it shouldn’t be said it’s the only or main factor. I’m sorry, but sometimes star power is necessary to get people more curious to see movies. Even though they’re not gay, if it was Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise getting together probably then the results would be different for Bros. Brokeback Mountain is also another example.
The promotions that they did do for this movie focused way too much on the importance and the idea 0f it being an LGBTQ movie. That shouldn’t have been the sole focal point. If it focused more that the movie is comedy than it would feel less like homework for the audience. Looking at the promotions, it something I would watch in a sociology class. Crazy Rich Asians was successful because it was based on a best selling book, so it had a built in audience that was aware of it. Also it was released strategically at a time that would give it a better shot. It was a hit domestically, not so much world wide, but still a hit. But releasing Bros. in October, well the last day of September when people were already gearing up for Halloween was a mistake. An Early September release would’ve been better. Not when already ads, social media, and movies such as Smile were promoting the Halloween vibes. Other movies that also were supposed to break the glass ceiling bombed as well when focusing too much on the importance of inclusivity and not on the movie itself. Warner Bros, In the Heights for Hispanics and Latinos, bombed. Jo Koy’s, Easter Sunday for the Filipino community bombed. There was also more buzz for Hocus Pocus 2 and buzz and controversy surrounding Blonde. There were more choices hitting nostalgia, curiosity, and interest for audiences around this time.And yes finally, there are just people that are not into romcoms. At least not enough to go see in cinemas. But there’s no denying that critics liked it, and audiences that did see the movie enjoyed it. But sadly, like Dredd, the numbers weren’t on their side.
Yeah…going to the movies to pay $16 plus to own the neckbeards by watching a romcom? That’s not happening.
It’s a rom com. I wasn’t seeing it regardless.
Congratulations.
Cool story, bro.
So, would you say that people…wait for it….ran away in a straight line?
If it makes him feel any better I didn’t go to the theater to see ANY movie this weekend.
Please, Billy, you must have realized that American audiences only go for homoerotic scenes if there are also scenes of jets doing jet things to counterbalance.
They could put a lot of stuff from Top Gun into a gay romcom and it would completely work.Hell, I bet a gay romcom that was about pilots falling in love would do OK. Not necessarily OK enough to justify the expense of all the airplanes and special effects, but better than average.
THAT should have been their film within a film, since pretty much everyone acknowledges how oddly homoerotic those scenes were.
Obviously not the same tone as a rom-com, but there is, in fact, a movie about soldiers (including one pilots) who fall in love/have an affair:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4061620/
As an aside, I sincerely believe Maverick had the best romance subplot ever that subverted a helluva lot of clichés.
It’s wild that he expected a different outcome. No wonder he sounds like a walking bruised ego here.
Billy, you made a movie that was well received, but bombed at the box office. That’s okay! Let it find it’s second life on streaming and become a cult hit. You’ll get more chances. Kevin Smith has almost exclusively made box office bombs and keeps getting movies! No need to blame the majority of americans who won’t pay to see a rom-com and insuniate if you don’t pay to see one you’re homophobic. You’re going to look extra stupid when a film with a male homosexual couple like ‘Knock At The Cabin’ opens at number 1 because it’s in a genre people actually want to see and the marketing isn’t focused exclusively on their sexual orientation.
Yeah, all I know about Bros is:1) It’s Gay and that is Very Important And Significant and also it’s funny I guess
2) Billy Eichner presents a Billy Eichner film written by Billy Eichner starring Billy Eichner3) It’s a romantic comedy, a genre currently in a huge lull that often relies heavily on star powerIt’s shocking that straight people didn’t turn out in droves to watch a genre they’ve been ignoring for a decade on the strength of Billy Eichner’s star power and the overwhelming urge to eat their Socially Significant Vegetables.Reviews for this have been pretty positive but the marketing team has been working overtime to make it sound like an absolute fucking drag, and I’m gay as the day is long.
Rom-coms are definitely tough, and really only draw if word gets around they’re REALLY funny. Even ones with the biggest, most bankable stars bomb routinely.
Nah, the need to make romcoms “hilarious” has ruined the genre. Too many “romcoms” add a bunch of out of place jokes that mess with the tone or diffuse the emotional tension. The people who watch Netflix romcoms are not the people who watch SNL. Combing these things serves no one.
What I’m getting at is that they still have to deliver on the “com” part, which is tricky. Writing comedy is hard and most aren’t that funny. That makes putting together a good rom-com doubly hard because both elements have to work. Meanwhile an action comedy, for example, can get by delivering on just the action (well, mostly).
Yeah be a pathetic hack like kevin smith
I think it would be kind of funny if Bros became the anti-Avatar – terrible box office but leaves a lasting cultural impression for decades.
Honest question, would this have done better if released during Pride?
Almost certainly, yes. This was a pretty terrible time to release it.
Im getting a real Halloween movie in July feeling.
Is that a H20 reference? Bc iirc that one was ridiculously released over summer 1998. Lol
Yeeeeeeep! Thats my go to example of why release this in that season?
This is Pride week where I live, though, right now. I live in a southwestern US desert city, and I think a lot of desert communities gave up on June pride awhile ago. I think it’s timed so it coincides with National Coming Out Day, which is in October, right?Since I chimed in – dumb thing for Eichner to say, though technically true, probably. Lots of [straight] people DIDN’T go to the movie. For all of the reasons above, probably. Not least of which is he’s not so appealing, for all the reasons. Now if the leads were, say, Chris Hemsworth and that new Sub-Mariner actor…hoo doggies, try and keep me away.
I believe you are correct, although Coming Out Day isn’t as big as Pride. I’m sure he isn’t wrong and that being an LGBTQ rom com doesn’t help the box office. I will also concur I’m not the biggest Eichner fan, never was since Parks and Rec.
It even looks like a summer romcom. Definitely missed opportunity.
I’m repeating myself from the other article about the weekend box office, but I feel like literally any other month would’ve been better. Maybe even any other weekend. There’s probably selection bias with who I follow on social media, but I was seeing lots of posts celebrating the start of spooky season (for me it starts in September though, one month is not enough!).
“Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast!” Eichner says.So I’m not allowed to just not be interested in this movie? Not a Billy Eichner fan, and not a rom-com fan. Saying shit like this makes me dis-like Eichner.
“So I’m not allowed to just not be interested in this movie?
Point out where he made a demand, snowflake.
I think that statement was sort of part and parcel with his personality in general.
I think that statement was sort of part and parcel with his personality in general.
Abrasive?
Yep
Fuck off, Eichner. Not wanting to go see a movie on opening weekend doesn’t mean you’re a raging homophobe.
Has blaming bigotry for box office failure ever worked? Was there anyone actually convinced that misogyny killed Charlie’s Angels? What’s the point of this? I can’t see how it can save a dying movie. The people who actually care why a movie failed, studio executives deciding what projects to bet on, surely aren’t fooled by it.This movie looks funny and I will check it out when it’s streaming for free on something I already pay for. I suspect that’s typical for comedy fans now.
Blaming box office failure on bigotry, etc. usually doesn’t work. However, if a movie is successful, but poorly received by audiences sometimes people will successfully try to gaslight you into believing bigotry is the reason audiences hated it.One great example is Star Wars The Last Jedi. Audiences hated it, most criticism was legit. Yet media focused on the minority of critics who hated it for sexist and racist reasons.
Right, this phenomenon happens, but to what end? No one who actually matters is fooled by it. Who cares if some idiots believe a movie bombed due to bigotry, if everyone important can see through that? If your movie doesn’t make money, you want the people who fund films believing it wasn’t your fault, and that your next project is worth funding. There’s no way this B.S. works on those people.
A perfect storm, really. A terrible, obnoxious marketing campaign—evidenced yet again by Eichner’s tweets—but also a terrible poster with no faces, not the greatest title, etc.Add in the fact that rom coms are just a hard sell at the box office now, even the straight ones. I think at this point the only way you’re going to get asses in seats is with mega-watt talent. George Clooney and Julia Roberts are in one this month, and even that feels like a gamble. If folks are unsure people will show up for two of the biggest movie stars on the planet, nobody was going to show up for Billy on the Street and that one guy from Brothers & Sisters.
a terrible poster with no facesYeah, even the poster screams “this is gay and that’s why you’re going to see it, no it doesn’t matter who’s actually in the relationship or what their connection is.”For all the talk of “finally we can see ourselves on the big screen,” the whole thing feels like it regards relationships like mine as a delightful novelty.
And it was released during a time of year when people are traditionally looking for scary movies.
I saw the title Bros without knowing anything about the movie, and my assumption was that it was a very different movie that what it actually is. To me, Bros should be starring a 20-something Ashton Kutcher or maybe someone from American Pie. I would never in a million years have thought Bros was a romantic comedy. And I think you’re right that rom coms in general are a hard sell right now. I’m not sure they’re what anyone thinks about anymore when they think about going to the theater. For me, rom coms are for a cozy night in. I go to the theater now (well, at least pre-covid) when I think the movie has enough spectacle to warrant it. Rom coms aren’t big on spectacle. They’re perfectly enjoyable at home.
Yeah, my first gut instinct was that this kind of film would be great for streaming, not the cinema.
100%
I think the industry is going to have to accept that unless a movie has the kind of visuals where seeing it on the big screen makes a difference, most people don’t actually want to watch movies in theaters anymore. Parents will take kids to the movies to get out of the house, teens will still go to the movies because its one of the only remaining public activity gathering spaces available to them, but adults generally don’t want to watch movies in theaters unless there is some sort of obvious value-add to the experience.
The best kind of movie to see in a theatre is a boring movie. So many art film viewings can be improved by not having any distractions.
What? Movie theaters are full of distractions. My living room is practically distraction free.
Different kind of distractions. When you’re at the movies, you can’t just pause the film and go to the kitchen for a snack. You don’t take out your phone and check your email (at least you’re not supposed to). There’s no one in the next room asking if you’ll be home next Wednesday. Basically, you’re there to see a movie, and there‘s no other reason to be at the theatre that can distract you.
Except for people the theater going in and out to get a snack, people checking their phone for email, and people asking each other about next Wednesday. Oh, and you might catch a virus because the girl two seats behind you literally can not stop coughing.
I think you’re purposely misconstruing my distinction.
If I need the Ludovico Technique applied to make it through a movie, it’s not a movie I have any interest in seeing.
Then you will miss out on some very enriching experiences, and will likely not grow in your tastes.
Little tip if you’re going into marketing; maybe emphasise the ‘enriching experience’ part over the ‘boring movie’ part.
Marketing is for cowards!Besides, most enriching experiences are boring.
“I think the industry is going to have to accept that unless a movie has the kind of visuals where seeing it on the big screen makes a difference, most people don’t actually want to watch movies in theaters anymore.”
Yeah, like Smile?
I mean, SMILE did $22.6 Million last weekend for a movie that was really not dependent on “theater visuals” at all and was rated R.
I mean… The demographic for this film is already low enough.It’s a romantic comedy, which isn’t a hot genre right now.
Most straight men probably aren’t interested.
Most straight women probably aren’t interested.
The title is called “Bros” which turns off a lot of people.
Religious folks will obviously avoid it.
Homophobes will obviously avoid it.
A lot of people will prefer to stream it from home.That’s a lot to exclude from the expected audience. So who will see it?Gay men and women.
Some straight women.
People who want to support LGBTQ films.That’s not that sizable of a population, right? Only about 7% of the country identifies as LGBTQ+ and it’s impossible to guarantee that that audience will entirely make their way out to the theater. Billy Eichner mostly has fame from Billy On The Street, with a little bit extra from his short stint on Parks & Rec and from the underrated show Difficult People. That’s not enough star power to draw in the crowds they seemed to be expecting… Everyone making this knew (or should have known) that half the country would inevitably be disinterested for homophobic political reasons, with another half of that losing interest on the premise without exhibiting or feeling homophobia.As a comparison, the LGBTQ+ movie Milk (2008) grossed about $54.6 million at the box office on a $20 million budget. Bros (2022) had a budget of $22 million, but Milk (2008) had Sean Penn, a much bigger star, and it was based on a real person and real story, involving a famous political assassination. In other words, it was a biopic, and not a romantic comedy. While Bros (2022) is technically doing better at the box office than Milk (2008) in its first week, I wouldn’t expect it to do THAT much better in the long run. They had to know it would be limited in its appeal.
I like Billy Eichner and want him to be successful and get more opportunities, but his response is obnoxious.
Maybe nobody goes to the theater to see romantic comedies anymore? This isn’t 1996.
Alternative take: maybe the movie sucked. It isn’t automatically good because it has gay characters or because movie critics loved it.
Ha! I just posted a series of replies to yesterday’s Newswire about Bros under-performing, not knowing there’s a hive of activity in the comments for today’s Newswire about Bros under-performing!Some of what I wrote:The bit that isn’t being said out loud is that – for many people – Billy Eichner is a truly horrendous choice as a lead in a rom com. I’d wager only a minority of the movie-going public know who he is, and only a minority of that minority would willingly shell out money to sit down in a dark room for a couple of hours to hear him speak and see him act (for many, like me, that prospect sounds like sheer torture, even if he ends up being nothing like his Billy on the Street persona).I was trying to think of who would have been a better choice opposite Luke Macfarlane and I stumbled upon one answer – Wentworth Miller! They (allegedly) used to date so chances are they’d have on-screen chemistry. And even though Wentworth hasn’t been on anybody’s screen in over a decade, I reckon he’d be a better box office draw – especially with female audiences who *are* always going to be the primary rom-com audience, regardless of who the leads are. Another choice that would have made more sense in terms of audience appeal: Matt Bomer. They’ve both been leads in hit TV shows – Prison Break and White collar respectively. Box office returns may have been better served if Eichner had stayed behind the scenes as creator /producer /writer/ whatever other role he had in this.
Lee Pace is another good choice!
Lee Pace is another good choice!Oh yeah – totally forgot about him! Agree 100%.The Fall is still one of the most visually stunning movies I’ve ever seen, and yet what stays with me all these years later is those small scenes with Lee Pace and the little girl. It’s criminal that movie never got a wide release – I was fortunate enough to watch it on the big screen at a special screening in London with a Q&A session with director Tarsem Singh! (And got one of my questions answered!)Also, Pushing Daisies left our screens too soon.
“Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast!” Eichner says. “And it *is* special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen, esp for queer folks who don’t get this opportunity often.”Urgh – his response sounds just as screechy as his Billy on the Street persona – Exclamation mark!An (admittedly very-laboured) analogy similar to one I posted before: this to me is kinda like if Carrot Top had released a rom-com that bombed, and then proceeded to yell “Not fair! Everybody who ISN’T a ginger-phobic weirdo – go see my movie tonight!” I’d have a similar reaction to Billy’s comment. And I’d point out that I’d pay good money to watch a critically acclaimed rom-com with Rupert Grint and Karen Gillan, so …
this to me is kinda like if Carrot Top had released a rom-com that bombed, and then proceeded to yell “Not fair! Everybody who ISN’T a ginger-phobic weirdo – go see my movie tonight!”There are definitely a lot more violent, demeaning homophobes out there than people who don’t like redheads (not to mention passively homophobic), but all the same – did this strategy work for Chairman Of The Board?
There are definitely a lot more violent, demeaning homophobes out there than people who don’t like redheads Of course, that’s why I put in the caveat that my analogy is “very laboured”.But there are parallels – a lot of red-heads would avoid a Carrot Top movie like the plague, and a lot of gays would avoid a Billy Eichner movie like the plague … so if there are vast swathes of people in your own minority who can’t stand you (maybe even more so than those who aren’t, perhaps resentful they are stuck with you and your grating persona as a poster boy/one of only a handful examples of “representation”) then maybe don’t use your minority status as a reason why people aren’t flocking to see your film.
Oh yeah definitely agree.
“WFT is ‘Chairman Of The Board’?!”
chairman of the BORED
Know what they should call it? I know what they should call it . . . . Box Office POISON!!
My heart still breaks for poor Courtney Thorne-Smith every time I see that clip. Just collateral damage in a brutal takedown she didn’t ask for. Next thing you know she’s Jim Belushi’s TV wife. Shudder.
She handled it like a pro though. Pretty sure nowadays, whenever she comes across the title of the show “Kevin can F*** Himself”, she has flashbacks to her romcom/sitcom days and mutters under her breath “Well, ain’t that the truth!”
Norm put her in his sitcom years later
She should have gone to his funeral just to be sure. He’d have appreciated that move.
She was on Cheers?
I fully agree with this and I saw Bros on opening night. The movie is hilarious, but Billy Eichner isn’t for everyone and his performance is pretty one note – he once again plays his acerbic self – but the writing is what elevates it and makes it work. It’s also very, very GAY™, which is what I loved most about it, but if we’re talking about finding an audience there’s a lot going on that’s not going to connect with people who aren’t city dwelling gay men.
It’s also very, very GAY™ … there’s a lot going on that’s
not going to connect with people who aren’t city dwelling gay men.
Yeah, this is what’s kept me away. The trailer makes it look like the gay equivalent of Lena Dunham Feminism, absolutely laser-focused on a very specific subset of a demographic, which wouldn’t be an issue except it appears utterly convinced that it’s speaking to and for that entire demographic.There’s nothing wrong with being an professional upper-middle-class urban-dwelling rainbow-flag-waving club-going gay, but that’s not The Universal Homosexual.
Neil Patrick Harris! Dan Levy! Kal Penn!If Jerrod were the star, I’D have gotten a midnight ticket.But Eichner’s a “star” whom I find review proof…in the other direction.
But Eichner’s a “star” whom I find review proof…in the other direction.Lol! Same! I almost felt bad drawing comparisons to Carrot Top and James Corden, but, to paraphrase a comment I read on here, I would actively not watch a movie with any of these even if I were stuck on a transatlantic flight with nothing else to watch!
He’s definitely not going to be Billy on the Street in this movie. It’s supposed to be romcom… and it seems like it’s about opposites that attract. They are looking for a comedian to be the lead. Wentworth Miller and Matt Bomer are too gorgeous to play the underdog and they aren’t really known for being funny.
He’s definitely not going to be Billy on the Street in this movie.Are you sure? Maybe don’t say “definitely not” until you’ve actually seen it – because quite a few reviews do call out his performance as being billy-on-the-street-esque! Wentworth Miller and Matt Bomer are too gorgeous to play the underdog and they aren’t really known for being funny.Um, Wentworth had some straight-up hilarious one-liners in Flash/Legends of Tomorrow, that worked because of his deadpan, off-kilter delivery. And White Collar only worked because Matt Bomer was charming and funny. I think Billy’s lack of charm is more of a detriment to playing the underdog, than Wentworth or Matt’s good looks.(Also, speaking of being ‘too gorgeous’, James Marsden has made a career out of playing the underdog over and over so – there goes that theory!)
Wentworth hasn’t been on anybody’s screen in over a decade
What? He didn’t leave L0T until 2018, and made a guest shot on the last season, which was technically this year.
This is an issue with the modern romcom, or the inability of the modern romcom to achieve box office success. There aren’t many 20-35 year old movie stars anymore. I’m not sure anyone in that bracket can really put butts in the seats. So the movie needs a top notch premise and it doesn’t seem like Bros has it. It’s a romcom only gay isn’t a hook.
I just don’t think romcoms work as theater-released movies anymore. They’ve been overly proliferated through so many other mediums in the last few decades that you can essentially get your romcom fill without leaving your house and dropping $15-$20 on a movie ticket.
Also, having the fundamental theme of the movie simply be “gay” runs into one of two problems faced with any gay-themed media (and I’m gay myself so I’ve partaken in many of these). You’re either compelled to pander to one of two elements, which will always cause a certain level of derision from people outside of the community, but also within it.
1. If you focus squarely on relatively young, relatively well-off, good-looking, club and circuit-party going, champagne sipping, and sexual promiscuous guys, it comes across as one note, stereotypical, turns off a large subset of the non-gay population who would rather not think of gay people as sexual beings in any context, and usually necessitates the inclusion of a downer-aspect to counteract the apparent frivolity of the lifestyle(s) being depicted (either a relationship has to collapse or someone has to die).
2. If you focus squarely on the heteronormative aspects of a gay couple or couples, it comes across as boring and insipid attempt to flatten out the characterization of the characters and make their gayness less prominent in order to appeal to a wider, non-gay audience. Thus, it raises the question as to why even have those characters be gay in the first place, since there’s nothing (or very little) to culturally denote their gayness in a way that’s easily recognized by an audience not familiar with gay culture. The way this is rectified (usually hamfistedly) is to contrast them with a friend who is single and fits the various stereotypes of a “gay” person.
Having not seen “Bros”, I can’t comment on the particulars, but in general, I think a gay romcom is far too narrow to really make “work” in the sense of a financially successful box office release.
Precisely. This is why “[x] but gay” is such a tedious approach to media. [x] either winds up being the most generic execution possible because the queer aspect winds up not being enough of a modifier to actually make it interesting or “gay” (in a very specific mode that calcified in the late 90s) winds up completely overwhelming everything because that’s the only personality it has.I still prefer 2 as an approach, because most of my life is the same as heterosexuals’… I go to work, I bitch on the internet, I buy shit I don’t need and then complain about not having space, I spend too long trying to decide what brand of hotdogs to get at the store when the reality is they all taste the same. Unless you’re telling a story explicitly and intentionally about homosexuality as a reality in modern America, I don’t see the need to focus on it to the detriment of everything else. I’m fine with a gay romance focusing on the romance and not having every single conversation revolve around drag shows and PrEP and twinks/bears and mojitos and Celine Dion vs Carly Rae Jepsen and Grindr and whatever else they can cram in there to make sure all the touchstones are covered and we establish what Kind Of Gay each person is without bothering to ever examine what kind of people they are.Does that make it too heteronormative? Sure, that’s possible. But I’m less concerned with that than I am with just making better and more representative media. And fuck it, if you’re concerned about making things too heteronormative, tell a story about five broke queer artists living together in a shitty apartment as a polycule. Do something with a couple nerdy probably-furries meeting in a role playing session online and then deciding to see each other in real life. Have a powerful and competent professional who spends his free time in chastity with his partner because his day job is so draining he enjoys being told what to do during his time off. Anything other than yet another story that focuses on rich white urban gays and keeps loudly patting itself on the back for doing so.
Wentworth Miller? Not on anyone’s screen in over a decade? You mean the last six months?
“And even though Wentworth hasn’t been on anybody’s screen in over a decade.”
Wentworth has been iconic in his run as Captain Cold in the Arrowverse. That’s actually the only place I know him from, and he was a lead on Legends of Tomorrow from 2016 – 2017 and did cameos in the Arrowverse after.
Interesting idea to have him lead the movie.
Dune couldn’t get me into a theater.Want to make money? Stop releasing things with theatrical exclusivity.
The movie made less than $5M.Yes, the straights stayed away in droves, BUT SO DID THE GAYS.Sorry, Billy, you don’t get to give the target audience a pass in order to blame people who were never going to come out to see this movie in the first place.
I’m bi and I didn’t show up either. I have no ill will for Eichner (enjoyed him on Parks and Rec), but wasn’t going to go out of my way to see this film.
Billy is very polarizing in the community, and I don’t know one LGBTQ+ POC who is charmed by his schtick.
*raises hand* – I really liked him in Friends from College (especially since it is 20,000 Leagues away from his Billy on the Street/Parks and Rec persona), and! Like his absurd character on Billy on the Street/etcAlong with a bunch of people in the comments, I just don’t rush to theaters/any “closed-box” environment with the least amount of covid-protections too often. (Also, only got the tail end of Hurricane Ian, but no movie makes me want to travel in a thunderstorm to see it opening weekend)
Who? What movie?
I could care less if it is a gay rom-com. Is it an actually good movie? I watch things all the time that aren’t red-blooded testosterone-fueled flicks to branch out, but if Eichner does his usual schtick, that’s reason enough for me to stay away. Has nothing to do with sexuality.
I just can’t stand Billy Eichner. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in anything and thought that he was funny or charming. He just irritates me. Also, I don’t go to the theaters because there’s a deadly virus out there, and watching a movie in a theater where I can’t pause and go to the bathroom just isn’t worth risking my life over. The theater experience was less than optimal before COVID, now it’s just dumb.
The LGBTQ+ and WOKE members failed to show up, as simple as that. Why blame people that this movie isn’t even targeted at? Should have been a Netflix movie at most.
“THE STAR WARS FANS DID NOT SEE THE MOVIE TOO!”
What do you know, movies about subjects that hold no personal interest for the majority of people underperform. It’s not homophobic to not support your vanity project buddy. And maybe just maybe it has something to do with the fact that you’ve fostered a persona of indifferent asshole your entire career and nobody wants that person as their leading man? Just sayin’…
You lost me at rom-com.
Gimme a romantic comedy starring Neil Patrick Harris and Kal Penn. They’re both more likable than Billy Eichner, they’ve both proven their ability to carry projects, and the reunion aspect would at least have some “wait what the fuck” energy that could put unexpected butts in seats.
Dan Levy or Jerrod Carmichael would also get my ass in a seat.I saw CRA because I love Constance Wu, not because it was an “Asian Rom Com.”
I hate to break it to you Billy, but after COVID, your movie needs to be something really special for me to see it in the theater. And Bros doesn’t look that special; it just looks like the latest Judd Apatow/Nick Stoller comedy that I will happily watch at home on streaming.
All the resident neo-nazis taking victory laps, please touch grass.
My choices were rom com but gay or creepy smile people so I went with Smile. Sorry but I do genuinely enjoy both rom coms and Billy Eichner but I prefer watching horror and action in theaters. There is reason they stopped making big studio comedies.
As a heterosexual male why would I go see this? Not a bigot but clearly I wouldn’t connect with any of the material so why go see it? It seems like this should be for the LGBTQ+ community.
A Summer-ish RomCom got beat by two Horror and a Thriller in the weekend leading into Halloween month!?Say it ani’t so! /s
No one watches RomComs in movie theaters anymore.
As a straight dude who thinks Eichner is hilarious in everything he’s ever done, I have plans to see this with my partner. I’m just not into the madness of opening weekends.
Errrr…. I don’t think you’ll have to fight your way through the hysterical, uncontrollable crowds to get to the ticket desk…..
Yeah, honestly, “opening weekend crowds” were already becoming a thing of the past even before the pandemic. When you have like 1/3 of a movieplexes screens showing the same movie…
Why would I be referring to the “ticket desk” and not the theater itself? I haven’t purchased a ticket in person in YEARS.
Do you think the fact he implied anyone who doesn’t wanna see the movie is homophobic hilarious too?
I honestly don’t care. I think he’s just hurt that a project he was clearly passionate about underperformed. People tend to say dumb things when they’re upset.
I understand, he is upset so his bigotry is okay. Let’s play a fun game: lie to me and say you’d just shrug if a right winger made bigoted statements against gays as an excuse for why their movie failed.
I think it’s pretty damn funny.
i’m a straight white male who doesn’t even watch straight rom-coms.someone let billy eichner know so his head will fucking explode, please.
disaster movies and rom-coms.who could possibly give a fuck?
I mean he isn’t wrong. The ads seem like one big gay dick slap to the face
Mad straight people on AV Club: how DARE Billy Eichner suggest this movie performed poorly at the box office because straight people didn’t show up!Also mad straight people on AV Club: this is a rom-com about GAY people, of fucking course I’m not going to go see it!Love the irony, guys. Keep up the great work.
Maybe it should have sold itself more as a comedy and less as a Gay Movie That Is Important And Gay.I’m gay and I felt alienated by the trailer. Just tell a fucking joke, bonus points if it manages to not be about anal sex or pride.
I’m gay and I felt alienated by the trailer. Just tell a fucking joke, bonus points if it manages to not be about anal sex or pride.Billy Eichner (after thinking very instensely for several minutes): “…I- er- um- WHAT’S UP YOUR ASS? OR, RATHER, WHAT’S NOT UP YOUR ASS?! Ah, dammit.”
I have no interest in rom-coms about straight people, so it follows that I have no interest in a rom-coms about LGBT people. But Eichner claiming that straight people who don’t see his movie are homophobic is ridiculous, stupid, and it makes him look like a sore loser because his movie didn’t perform as well as expected. NEWSFLASH: Tons of movies don’t perform as well as expected. Did Eichner mean it as a joke? Probably. But it was a really stupid thing to say.
The marketing for this movie was horrible. It’s just that simple. Don’t advertise your movie as a BIG IMPORTANT GAY MOVIE and then get bent out of shape when straight people don’t see it.
Sit the fuck down. He implied you’re homophobic if you dont wanna see his movie. Stop defending it.
Typical AV Club commenter: “I haven’t heard of it, I don’t go to the cinema, I don’t watch romcoms, I don’t like Billy Eichner, so this must also hold true of every other person in existence.”
I don’t watch romcoms, I don’t like Billy Eichner
The genre hasn’t been doing well in theaters for a decade and Billy Eichner has always been Marmite. It’s silly to pretend neither of those play a part in the reception of a romcom written by and starring Billy Eichner and that it’s only a couple people in a comments section.
Typical “Every Other Person in Existence”:Doesn’t go to the cinema to see a rom-com written by and starring Billy Eichner.
Oof. I love Billy Eichner and watch pretty much anything he’s in — and I’ll definitely see Bros at some point — but if the other comments here are any indication, the marketing for this film really missed the mark. Far from “this is a comedy that will appeal to everyone,” it seems to have implied “gay people, and gay people only, have a duty to watch this historic movie.” Let’s recap how things went wrong:— the trailer specifically busting on straight people (they don’t like that)— the marketing campaign taking itself too seriously (it’s also a comedy?)— two white male leads (why would lesbians, for example, be interested?)— lots of people don’t like romcoms for some reason (this one’s a mystery)— Billy not being everyone’s cup of tea (understandable)
— people not seeing movies in theaters as much anymore (this is me)Final thought: I wonder whose idea the marketing angle was. Eichner’s? Even Crazy Rich Asians and Fire Island didn’t harp on their casting choices as much as Bros did, and they had more reason to. Oh well, it’ll be fun when I watch it streaming later.
— lots of people don’t like romcoms for some reason (this one’s a mystery)Not much of a mystery. They’re almost always cliche, boring, and predictable. Rarely do they subvert expectations. Also, having a standout cast like Forgetting Sarah Marshall does, really helps.
FSM is also one of the front-to-back funniest comedies of the last 15 years, which doesn’t hurt. Maybe that should be the response to Eichner – if you’re making a comedy, it better first and foremost have people rolling. Then worry about your message.
Fair. But people love superhero movies, and it’s not like they’re breaking new narrative ground on a regular basis.
But superhero movies both have wide appeal and are a different experience on the big screen.
The best rom-coms are self-aware ones. Down with Love is one of my favorite movies of all time.
They’re almost always cliche, boring, and predictable.Wha- no! There’s at least two versions! You’ll never know which version it’s gonna be! (for at least the first two minutes):#1:* Incredibly hot, successful, normal girl is, somehow, single. * Goes on series of dates with shitty men. None work out. * Keeps running into an ABSOLUTE JERK who SHE TOTALLY HATES and WILL NEVER DATE IN A BILLION YEARS! UGH!* Ends up falling for Absolute Jerk, who turns out not to be an Absolute Jerk. Bonus points: if she has a Slutty Best Friend (who’s slightly less attractive), who keeps giving her advice because she’s so much better with men that protagonist is (ie, she has eight different guys crawling into her bed/bending her over the hood of their Trans Ams a week). #2* Incredibly hot, successful, normal girl is about to marry Rich, Handsome, Rich, Did We Mention He’s Rich?, Arsehole. * Refuses to believe he is an Arsehole, despite evidence.* Runs into Down-To-Earth Aww Shucks Guy, who is Obviously Poor but a Great Guy.* Aww Shucks Guy falls for her, and her for him, but she’s obligated to marry Arsehole.* Just as she’s about to marry Arsehole, Aww Shucks declares his love for her, and she runs off with Aww Shucks, despite him being Obviously Poor. Bonus: if Aww Shucks actually turns out to be rich and famous:
Sigh…. Comments like these really make me miss Caroline Siede’s When Romance Met Comedy column, which (along with changing tastes as I got older) turned me from being hater to having a healthy appreciation. Like horror, romcoms can be cheap to make which makes it easy to flood the market with crappy ones, but there are plenty of quality ones too. To each their own, but there is often more quite a bit of sexism in the low opinion of romcoms so my hackles are raised when I hear the same old basic criticisms trotted out.
I’m not a hater, it’s just not for me… for the reasons I listed. There’s no sexism here. If that’s what you like, more power to you. I’m sure there are plenty of people who dislike the films I like.
People like RomComs, they just don’t like watching RomComs in theaters.It’s a combination of home tvs getting really good, and theaters being more and more expensive.Theaters cost a lot, so people want to go to the theaters these days for an EVENT. A big blockbluster that you spend weeks talking about with whizbang special effects to justify the Meanwhile RomComs are best watched in a cozy atmosphere at home. And with 4k tvs these days, the picture quality is just as good.
Ah, this argument actually makes the most sense to me. Thanks for the explanation!
I for one am a heterosexual white man from the midwest who was looking forward to seeing this, just not in theaters. I can’t think of a single rom-com I’ve seen in theaters since BOOK CLUB which my ex-girlfriend wanted to see.
It’s also October. Who sees anything non-horror related in October? If it came out in June or July it probably would have been a lot bigger. I’m sorry BIlly is disappointed, but I HIGHLY doubt homophones refusing to see it is the main reason it disappointed. I’m sure it will do gangbusters on VOD and streaming.
Movie made by queer/poc people: “Straight/White/Men – This movie isn’t for you!” (cross out what isn’t applicable)
Straight/White/Men stay home. Those same moviemakers: “Why didn’t the Straight/White/Men not show up for our movie?!?!”Because it wasn’t for us. Because not everything is or should be for us. But if it isn’t for us, why should we go see it?
Me and all my fellow queer friends hated it lol
Bro if you don’t give Billy Eichner your bank details then you’re a legit homophobe. Also not to sound offensive because it hasn’t came out yet but is it weird that I find it kinda dancing bearish. Like the crux of the film isn’t that the film is good it’s that there’s a cast made entirely out of a select group of people.Like you don’t see Viola Davis going on social media and calling everyone a Klansman if they don’t like The Women King y’know?
billy eichner: straight people didn’t see this movie, that sucksstraight people: how DARE you call me homophobic, now I have NO CHOICE but to NEVER SEE YOUR MOVIE, which I was NOT GOING TO SEE ANYWAYI’m beginning to think not being a minority for your entire life makes you react poorly to being poked at with a mild sense of humor
billy eichner: straight people didn’t see this movie, that sucks
Except that’s not what Eichner said. What he actually said is really stupid.
accusing people of being homophobic because they didn’t see it is a joke! as a gay dude I’m always being told to lighten up and laugh at jokes, maybe you should do the same? at the same time homophobia was a major reason people didn’t see it? advertisers refused to carry ads for it, theaters refused to show it, vast swathes of the country are hostile to gay people existing, and it won’t be shown in enormous foreign markets because many of them pretend we don’t exist haha!!!! it’s very funny : )
accusing people of being homophobic because they didn’t see it is a joke! It may have been intended as a joke, but it was an objectively stupid thing to say.
at the same time homophobia was a major reason people didn’t see it? Was it, though? Or is the fact that rom-coms have been suffering for a long, long, long time just going to be ignored?
it won’t be shown in enormous foreign markets because many of them pretend we don’t exist That has nothing to do with Americans not seeing it, which is what Eichner is talking about.
You seriously don’t think gay people being one of the most hated minorities in the united states didn’t have anything to do with a gay movie being advertised poorly and having a bad box office opening? like he literally said a theater chain threatened to pull the movie because it had gay content. you think the advertisers, theater owners, reviewers, all the people who are part of a movie having a good opening, all have great opinions about gay people existing and taking up space?
You seriously don’t think gay people being one of the most hated minorities in the united states didn’t have anything to do with a gay movie being advertised poorly and having a bad box office opening? Overall, no, I don’t. Is it a factor? Probably. Is it the primary reason the movie didn’t do well? No. The marketing for this movie was just bad, and making a rom-com (for any sexual orientation) in 2022 is just a bad idea. Rom-coms haven’t been major money-makers in a long, long time.Also, if you put “This movie isn’t for straight people” in the trailer, then you can’t really get mad when straight people don’t see your movie. The movie did so badly I don’t think many LGBT people saw the movie, either.
like he literally said a theater chain threatened to pull the movie because it had gay content. And then the chain didn’t pull the movie.
Maybe the movie just sucked? But yeah, blame everyone else
Prove it was a joke
Bros was definitely my second choice for movies last weekend. But I went to the Avatar re-release instead. Probably will catch Bros in theaters, but even if I don’t I’m sure it’s watchable at home. Avatar is a movie I can’t imagine seeing anywhere but in 3D on a big screen so it won out for me.
Another factor that I feel like isn’t getting discussed is how much rom-coms rely on star power. As much as people claim to not give a shit about celebrities, I think that when it comes to rom-coms, we want to see two famous hot people get together. You might turn out to see a bland looking rom com because you love Sandra Bullock or Tom Hanks or Drew Barrymore or whoever. Do we have any gay actors with that kind of star-wattage yet? I know you need a “bro”, but imagine if Luke Macfarlane was replaced with Dan Levy or Neil Patrick Harris, and I think people would be more interested. Also, it feels like this movie is missing a strong, recognizable female supporting lead (maybe the story doesn’t need it, but four-quadrant movie marketing does).
I mean…who’s your primary audience for rom-coms? Now remove the relatability factor from the cast. This is not a surprising outcome.
Don’t think Luke McFarlane’s the one who needed replacing, haha!
Don’t think Luke McFarlane’s the one who needed replacing, haha!Preach!
So true – I actually did watch “The Lost City” because of the stars, and I’m sure I wouldn’t have given it a second glance otherwise.
I’m probably alone in this, but I saw the movie. It’s only real problem that it’s neither funny nor romantic. It was great about the all LGBTQIA+ cast, but it failed (for me anyway) in moving me in any way. Okay, everyone bash me now lol
It’s only real problem that it’s neither funny nor romantic.As problems go, those are two pretty big ones for a romantic. comedy.
I think a lot of this is mostly from lack of marketing. The first time I heard or seen of this movie was as a trailer in front of Smile last night. I thought it was coming out in a few weeks, not that it was already out.
“Okay so we underperformed at the box office, that’s a bummer. Let’s see about doing some positive social media, maybe celebrate it’s accomplishments and see if word of mouth will carry us forward since people really seem to like it”
Billy “Don’t worry I’ve already been tweeting about it”
“Oh yeah? what’d you tweet let me see… oh no… nonono WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!”
That or maybe you can’t carry a feature as the lead, Billy.
It sucks because the haters are gonna use this as ammo but the fact is Bros probably did what any romantic comedy coming out the last week of September was gonna do.Now if Eichner made a 100 million dollar Superhero epic starring an all LGTBQ+ cast, then maybe it would get people in the seats.
Can I ask why you’re saying it sucks that haters will use this as ammo, as opposed to saying it sucks because the guy tried to say people who wouldn’t see the movie are homophobic?
To clarify, you mean if he made a good superhero movie.He could make an all gay Green Lantern and it would still bomb hard.
“Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast!”
i think its a bit of a stretch to interpret this to mean “if you dont see my movie it means you hate gay people”i cant imagine why someone who is homophobic would want to see a gay rom com.
What a whiny muppet.
Why move and go see a romantic movie I’m si gle and straight whether it’s a guy love story or a straight love story or a lesbian love story or any kind of love story.Facts is because you think something you did is good doesn’t mean all the world is craving for it.Tough s***.Nothing against lbgtq guys.
1) The movie should have had some jokes2) Some of those jokes should have gone in the trailer
If I didn’t rush to a theater to see The Batman or EEAAO, I can assure you I was not rushing to one to watch Bros. I’ll catch it on Max or wherever it ends up and I’m sure I’ll be suitably amused. Don’t get catty with me about my continuing fear of crowds and viruses and all that same old shit.
Great! Thanks Billy! The story has broke big. Now all of us queers are going to take the blame for your stupidity.
Rom-coms have been a hard sell at the box office even before the pandemic. The marketing campaign’s focus on the historic relevance of this film was not helpful either. The right choice would have been to release it on streaming with a focus on how funny the film is. It probably could have been a success.
Told my partner about Bros and he was really interested in seeing it…until I told him it wasn’t streaming anywhere. If it still looks fun by the time it comes to home media then we’ll watch.
I really wanna go see it but the only cinema in my town closed permanently during lockdown.
Just sitting here, wondering if I’ve ever seen a rom-com in a theater.Well, regardless, I’m just going to have to burn in the flames of Gay Hell, because I’m not going to see this one.
I’m glad there’s a seeming consensus here: there’s nothing wrong with Bros and it looks like a cute, fun movie. But how many people can justify the cost, effort, and Covid risk to see ANY rom-com in theaters?It’s not possible for me to recreate Dune in IMAX in my home. If I’m going to see a cinematically impressive movie like Green Knight or Everything Everywhere All At Once, I’ll go to an actual cinema to do it. But a breezy rom-com? That’ll wind up on a streaming platform in a couple months? Probably not.
I’m glad there is also a consensus that the guy is pure trash for saying you’re a homophobic weirdo if you wont see his movie.
“The New York Times estimates that Bros made $4.8 million in domestic ticket sales during its opening weekend, spending $30-40 million on promotion and $22 million for production”How??? It’s a movie about people talking to each other.
What a dipshit.
Fuck off, Billy.The movie bombed because no one pays 20 a ticket for rom-coms anymore, you self-important twat. Also, you ain’t a lead, dude. You’re the character actor best friend, at best. Someone in the comments mentioned NPH and Kal Penn as alternate leads. That there is your movie. The shrieking guy from Parks and some Hallmark movie dude? Yeah, you’re lucky the movie broke a mil. “Everyone who doesn’t like me is a homophobe!” No, my guy. You’re the dude who is only funny in small doses. Ego ruined this movie in terms of box office, not straight people. Still, I’ll watch it on streaming.
I actually really want to see this and I love Billy Eichner, but a rom-com premiering during the peak of the horror movie season is not well-timed.
I love Billy Eichner. I love the fact that there’s a movie out there with an all-LBGTQ+ cast, co-opting the rom-com genre and being a trailblazer for queer cinema.I also am not going to see it in a theater.I’m sure that people will call me a homophobe (like Billy did on Twitter!) because I’m a old white cis guy, and c’est la vie because this is, after all, the Internet, where context goes to die. But I’m personally not interested in seeing an “unabashedly queer” rom-com in the same way I’m not interested in seeing a slasher film with copious amounts of blood and guts, or a Crispin Glover arthouse film, or a Game of Thrones adaptation, or any sort of teen-dying-of-cancer-meets-magic-pixie-dream-girl twee romance, or etc. – it’s just not an entertainment genre that I’m partial to. I can still be glad that these exist, particularly for their fans, and I would never in a million years say that they shouldn’t be made because there are people who like them, and like them a lot, and why shouldn’t they partake in something that represents them and what they love?But in the end, this is a movie, and a consumer product, and I’m not interested in dumping a bunch of money to catch it in a theater. Maybe I’ll stream it when it hits digital (unless it’s on Netflix, which I do not and will not subscribe to for a whole different Bhagavad Gita’s-worth of reasons), but I feel no pressing need to.Mas alla to those who do. Go enjoy it and be grateful for it.
How are straight people supposed to know this movie even exists? I’m on this website multiple times a day, and beyond this article I didn’t know this existed. Google will send me this ad for elderly women doing hot yoga for some reason, but not one for a movie that Billy is trying to push? Maybe hire better marketing people.
No one wants to schelp to a rom-com because it’s Important.They want to see it because it’s funny.
Romcoms’ primary audience has always been women. Judd Apatow did release a few that were aimed specifically at men but even then, female characters still had a big role.My point is, releasing a R-Rated romcom that doesn’t center around any woman, without any big star, and during a period where the genre isn’t popular, feels a little ill-advised. The well-if-not-quite-as-well-received Happiest Season would probably have fared better because Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis are more famous than Luke Macfarlane and Eichner, and because they would have appealed to women instead of men.
Eh, women make up the majority of fans of Boys Love manga, anime, and novels, so a gay romcom could probably still have appealed to women.
I like Billy but I only go to a movie in the theater when I badly want to see it. I will watch this when it’s on streaming.
straight guy here. I don’t care for romantic comedies. Or musicals. I’m not really interested in gay themed movies, unless it’s lesbian vampires.
It’s doing quite well at my theatre, and drawing a diverse audience. But we’re in Berkeley, so YMMV.
Straight, black guy here.
1. I never heard of Billy Eichner.
2. I never heard of this movie ‘till yesterday.
3. I don’t go to the movies often.
4. I don’t watch many romcoms.
5. I don’t go to movies to see romcoms 98%. I could see Bridesmaids or Girl’s Trip, but they are the exception.
6. Blaming str8 people for not seeing this is like blaming white people for not seeing Friday. They aren’t the target audience although it’d be nice for them to come out.
7. This movie can crash and burn for trying to guilt the str8s into seeing it. I hope it sinks to depths of hell now and ole Billy is the weirdo for thinking more of this than there was.
8. Now that I saw the trailer, it actually looks kinda funny. HOWEVER, I don’t identify with some of the humor in it so it’s entirely skippable, even for a free stream.
Burrrrn, WeirdoWood, Burrrrn
Billy Eichner is a petty man-child. i know opening weekend is important, but he should be more optimistic. Plus, it’s a big ask to sit and watch him for 90mins. His short Billy on the Street segments were perfect.
“Billy Eichner thinks straight people staying home had a hand in Bros’ underperformance”
Yep, it’s out fault, it sure isn’t the fault of all the gay people that stayed home.
Right?
Don’t blame your target audience, blame the people who were less likely to go in the first place. Good job, Dick- I mean, Billy.
This feels about on par with Ridley Scott blaming millennials for The Last Duel bombing.I’d only go see a romcom if someone dragged me, and with that I haven’t seen one in over a decade. A romcom by Billy Eichner wasn’t going to change that. Not to mention this article was the first time I’d heard of Bros.
So in other words you want more representation because you feel it’s important to be able to relate to the characters but you also demand that people who don’t relate to the character in your movies go see your movie. Got it.
I mean, I haven’t seen a film in theaters since before the pandemic (because of the pandemic). I haven’t ever gone to the theater to see a rom-com, and while I like Billy and would like to support a film like this, I’m not risking COVID to do so, especially for a film that I have little-to-no interest in on its merits given my lack of interest in the genre.
It would be a far better world if every fag were ended so we wouldn’t have to deal with their crap.
I will be honest. I was super-excited to Bros get made. I enjoyed the commercials even.But there’s no way in hell I’d go to a movie theater to see it. Just bad timing. And we must remember that around 95% of moviegoers are straight…
I mean, I lost my job at the beginning of the month, am admittedly straight, don’t like rom-coms, and have a 4 year old daughter that I can’t abandon at home to go to a movie with my wife who also has no interest in rom-coms, but sure, go off on me for not going to the first movie I would see in theaters since Dune.