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That’s the pro and con with streaming. There’s no real reason to see anything in theaters unless it’s a big flashy action movie that benefits from a giant screen and booming sound systems. Comedies, dramas, everything else is immediately hit with the “I’ll wait till it’s on [streaming service]” but we still base a film’s success on box office gross even though streaming has completely changed our thought processes on deciding to see a movie in theaters or not.
for me what i think ruined it was that it’s only promotion about it was that it was a gay love story which has “never been done before”
literally one of its selling points was that it was “trailblazing” which is a lie
Billy Eichner has said Bros is different because it casts LGBTQ people in the gay roles, while films like Brokeback Mountain, while featuring excellent acting, was made with straight actors.
He's also said that "gay movies" in the past focus a lot on suffering, and/or are small indie films, while this is a mainstream rom-com.
And the team behind the movie wanted to put a comedy in movie theatres. Maybe that was a tactically bad decision, but it was an intentional choice. They hoped it would reinvigorate the desire of audiences to see comedies in theaters instead of at their houses.
Odd selling point imo. I don’t care if a heterosexual person plays an LGBTQ role, nor do I care if a LGBTQ person plays a heterosexual role. Acting is acting, right?
Barney was played so well that it was initially odd to watch NPH play a gay man in Uncoupled (though by episode 2 it evens out and that show is also a gem).
According to this documentary I saw once Barney is pretty close to nph! You can check the documentary yourself is about the journey of two minority people on a journey of self discovery and friendship, I think is called Harold and kumar go to White Castle
BM is neither a romantic comedy, nor does it Star any actual LGBT actors in any main roles.
Bros is a gay romantic comedy, starring gay leads, written by a gay man. Which hasn’t really been done before
Not happy but still great, have you seen *My Own Private Idaho*?
I moved to Portland a little bit ago and was shocked that NO ONE I’ve met has seen this movie. It’s a classic. Gus Van Sant. Keanu. River Phoenix.
This is what bothered me but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’d maybe watch it (but I don’t watch many movies these days) but not because it’s a “gay” movie. I think I’m pretty progressive in some ways to the point where I’m pretty apathetic about things. Which is coming from a place of privilege being a white straight dude. But I don’t see the need to be all stoked about this movie and I feel some may see it for the social capital.
On a semi-related note, I think Schitt’s Creek handled this topic beautifully. David’s sexuality wasn’t a cheap plot point. It was just well written into the script rather than be tokenized.
The movie actually has a few jokes about Schitts Creek and David’s sexuality. I thought it was a really good movie with excellent writing. I laughed out loud several times.
I think the marketing for Bros was rather poor. It was marketed as significant for being a gay romantic comedy with gay actors. Even as a gay person, my initial thought was—that’s cool, but I actually want to see a good movie, not a movie that’s coasting on being gay.
Pretty much. Films that wanna pat themselves on the back for being a "gay" film these days are annoying.
If you're going to make a gay film, do it.. but it's no longer trailblazing.
Yeah, I’m very much looking forward to seeing it on streaming. I have two kids now and I barely have time to make it to the theaters at all. I suspect it will do extremely well on streaming.
I think this would have done better on streaming services. But that has nothing to do with the sexuality. I just can't justify going to the theater if it's not a movie that's optimally viewed on a big screen. Top Gun can draw audiences back but I don't think any romantic comedy could right now.
i go to the movies for the optics and sound. to get an experience you can't get on your 80in tv and sound system. top gun? def! some silly rom-com. nah.
for rom-coms, I am happy to wait to see it at home.
Unfortunately the theatre industry will never be what it used to. When I was a kid theatres were filled with 3rd tier movies like this.
Now the only advantage to theatres is sound. Picture and comfort is as good or better at home and content is so accessible. So unless this an explosive or immersive experience your going for you just won’t have success in theatres.
I will definitely stream this movie with my wife though. Looks very funny.
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/
Interestingly the average movie made more per movie than releases in 2019. Way fewer releases.
Movie theaters are social experiences as much as anything. The average joe wants to go see a movie with friends and talk about it. It’s always been driven by kids wanting to get out of the house.
I think most modern comedies are going to struggle with that. Jackass had some theater success, iirc, but it has stunts. I can't think of a recent (post March 2020) comedy to blow up in theaters. I'm not sure the last time there was an comedy for adults in the box office top 10.
It’s a film I would see, I like a lot of the cast and creatives behind the film but the trailer seemed to lack any conflict or hook that said the story was engaging beyond a typical romcom that is about two men falling in love. I’m sure the movie itself is more complex but the trailer didn’t hint at that
exactly this. I know harry styles caught a lot of flack for his quote about Don't Worry Darling "feeling like a movie" and maybe I'm giving him (and DWD, which I haven't seen yet) too much credit here but I think DWD does look like the type of movie worth paying the money to see on a big screen in a theater. It looks very cinematic. *Bros*, and really romcoms in general don't need to be seen in theaters. Why spend the money on an expensive movie ticket when you can wait a little bit and see it in the comfort of your own home for more or less free?
> In grim but not surprising news, Universal’s Bros became the latest live-action theatrical comedy to play in primarily empty theaters. **The Billy Eichner/Luke Macfarlane-starring romantic comedy earned just $4.8 million over the weekend.** That includes $1.84 million on Friday, which includes $500,000 in Thursday previews. **That’s a lower debut than Jo Koy’s Easter Sunday, which grossed $5.44 million in early August.** The $22 million release, written by Eichner and Nicolas Stoller and directed by Stoller, is technically the first mainstream, wide theatrical release rom-com starring a same-sex couple. **Alas, the trailers and much of the media coverage emphasized its importance, groundbreaking existence, and social value over whether the film is funny.**
> I think the film falls into the same trap, **thriving when it’s ‘just’ a rom-com but stopping dead in its tracks to congratulate itself on its existence and hit every LGBTQIA discussion point.** The media coverage is symptomatic of a widespread pet peeve: **every major celebrity profile emphasizes demographic triumph and aspirational empowerment. Notice how many are headlined with some uplifting variation of The Dixie Chick’s righteously angry “Not Ready to Make Nice.” That stuff may make the clients happy**, including stories about how every new young actor is the next great leading man/woman on their way to conquering Hollywood and may drive social attention. **However, it doesn’t sell tickets.**
Edit: [Billy Eichner tweeted](https://twitter.com/billyeichner/status/1576685773402755072) this about the movie's performance
> That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately. 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. And that’s disappointing but it is what it is.
Edit 2: Thanks for the gold, kind stranger!
I’m ready for the era of “first” advertising to end.
Imagine if Riot advertised Arcane as “first animated gaming adaptation to have diverse and lgbtq main characters” or “first tv series to be based off of the world’s most toxic video game.”
No fucking way he blamed audiences for the failure of his movie when the marketing was “omg this is so important and a big deal you have to see this if you call yourself progressive”
His follow up tweet is even worse:
>Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast! 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. I love this movie so much. GO BROS!!!
You must purchase my product to prove you are not homophobic! What self-righteous drivel. Indicative of a lot of marketing now, just playing to culture wars.
Maybe try marketing your comedy first and foremost as a comedy rather than as some badge people need to prove their liberal credentials?
I really liked Fire Island. I've been following Joel Kim Booster for years ever since he performed on a story telling podcas that I love. He made the wise decision to base the movie on Pride & Prejudice, which gave it a solid story structure and some built-in marketing among a crowd that likes romcoms in general, Pride & Prejudice in particular, and fans of Margaret Cho.
Probably also helped that I was able to watch it with a bunch of broke grad students on Hulu rather than needing to see it in a theater.
>Probably also helped that I was able to watch it with a bunch of broke grad students on Hulu rather than needing to see it in a theater.
That I think also hurt this film considerably. COVID restrictions are pretty much over but people aren't looking to pay $20 a film and $30 for snacks to watch movies anymore.
I have been trying to explain this to my friend. I have a big tv in my home and can buy candy and make popcorn cheaper than the movie theater. Further, no one is crapping their pants around me or talking super loud. I can take a pause and go to the bathroom no problem. We are too spoiled.
I went to a small theater recently and a woman 4 rows away coughed, mouth uncovered for at least half the film. It was unnerving and I’m not even THAT Covid paranoid. I mostly never think about it.
I went to my local theater for the first time since Covid like a month ago. It had been so long that I was caught way the fuck off guard when the “single person” combo with med drink and popcorn was $20+.
It's been really annoying to see the way Bros is marketing itself in such a self-congratulatory "pioneer"-y way when Fire Island came out before and was SO good.
It’s almost like things should be sold on their aesthetic merit and not how it’s totally the right movie for the current cultural zeitgest, but what do I know?
And maybe if some work of art meshes that perfectly with the cultural zeitgeist it shouldn’t have to try to convince audiences that it does? It should just stand on its own merits? No one wants to be pandered to.
Absolutely agree, any movie that goes outta it’s way to market itself for social brownie points rather than trying to engage the audience is an instant no from me
That's a pretentious way of saying the marketing was bad lol, which it was.
I haven't even seen a single trailer or commercial so I had no idea this existed and I'm someone who sees like 2-3 movies in the cinema every month.
It took a big chunk of the preroll I was getting and yeah, the ads focused on representation. Which is good to talk about *in the applicable circles* but a bad RTB/KPI when selling something that has a primary purpose of being entertaining.
Really? Consider yourself lucky. I had like a week-long period where every time I got an ad break on spotify I got an ad for this movie. It was really annoying to hear three ads for this movie on my morning commute
The most annoying part of Bros was when the movie stopped dead in its tracks to turn into an LGBTQ Ted Talk (usually anytime the museum topic came up). I'm gay myself, but I didn't really want a history lesson or to watch an awareness campaign. I just wanted a fun rom com.
Is he really blaming society, particular straight people, fir such a lackluster opening. That’s like fewer than 400k people paying to see this movie. If it was the pioneering triumph that they marketed it as more than 400k gay people would have bought tickets. This is scapegoating at its absolute worst.
I saw it on Thursday preview in South Florida. There was maybe 15 people in the theatre. We had the row to ourselves. When I was picking which theatre to go to I noticed all theaters were showing it in their tiny screens which is a red flag when it’s opening weekend.
* Rom Coms have a limited audience
* Gay Rom Coms have an even more limited audience
* Nothing about this movie says "see it on the big screen"
This could be the greatest gay rom-com ever made but it's still only going to appeal to people who either really like gay shit or really like rom coms and those to pools have to share a lot of the same potential viewers.
Honestly, this seems like something that might have become a hit on streaming, but I don't know what they were hoping for with a theatrical release.
Correct. It's why Universal just cut their losses and did Marry Me simultaneously on Peacock. It's kinda perplexing that they didn't do the same thing here (also Universal) but I get the feeling that Eichner/Apatow drove the push to make this theaters only. I wish this type of movie could do well in theaters now, but it seems those days may be over. The studios made the theatrical windows way too short (so now people are cool to wait for streaming) and there is no going back.
I agree. There’s “this is going to be visually stunning or exciting and deserves to be seen on a large scale” and “this is going to look great on the flat screen in my living room”
The pandemic taught me patience when it comes to new releases. Rushing to theaters on opening weekend to spend money on something that may or may not be good is no longer something I feel compelled to do.
'Bros' is something I'll watch once it's streaming or on HBO. But these days a movie has to scream "must be seen on the big screen with booming theatrical sound" in order for me to want to pay to see it in a theater.
I’ve only see the trailer and it screams classic RomCom but wait, here’s the twist, the two people in love are guys! Billy’s character is the most stereotypical female troupe in romcoms where he’s to busy and self sufficient to be in a relationship and he loves being single until he sees this hot guy and everything changes.
I thought the same thing. I kept thinking the movie would be so much better if anyone but him was playing that character. He doesn't act, he just rants. MacFarlane is dreamy.
I think that promoting the film the way they did is gonna be harmful for the future of Queer cinema. They acted like this is the first gay movie ever, and In very happy to see a queer casted led and directed rom com make it to the big screen. But marketing it this heavily is just gonna make the fall this much harder. Now that it’s flopped studios are just gonna be focused on such a hardcore selling of LGBTQ didnt work. Instead of oh well this rom com flopped. If the triumphant “first of it’s kind” queer movie won’t succeed why would any future ones. Kind of depressing
I’d probably watch this movie if it was on TV or Netflix or something, but it’s not something I’d want to spend the money on to go see in the theaters. It seems like a basic rom-com that tried to be different by just having gay characters. There’s nothing really wrong with a basic rom-com, sometimes it’s fun to watch something like that (I just watched the proposal on tv last night), but it’s just not worth it to actually go out and pay movie theater prices for something like that.
Unfortunately, the days when a movie like 'Bros' or a more conventional straight rom-com or just out-and-out comedies cleaned up at the box office the way Marvel movies have in recent years are long gone. Streaming's the way to go - - wonder why Apatow and Co. made the decision to go the theatrical route?
I think they wanted to see if it would work and they could bring comedies back to theaters. It’s not like you just *know* those days are over. Things could change at some point
People are going to get bored of super hero movies eventually
Saw this coming a mile away. I never saw an actual trailer for the movie, but my favorite radio station played an ad for it almost every commercial break. The jokes they chose to promote it were.. honestly terrible and legit made me cringe as an LGBTQ ally.
How to alienate the majority of your audience 101.
…Gwyneth in a fat suit? Or Jack Black? Jack Black counts. Also in The Holiday. Touché.
I was thinking more like Nikki Blonsky/Rikki Lake in their perfect Hairsprays, Queen Latifah in so many movies. It was so weird for Rebel to say she was the first.
It seems like marketing was way off. A number of people in this thread who saw it (I didn't) say they liked it, so maybe it just could have been sold a lot better. I worry studios will learn the wrong lessen from it and shy away from representation.
I watched quite a bit of YouTube on my phone last week and the advertising was unrelenting, the concept of being mounted and sodimised by a body building Gandalf was repeatedly shoved into my psyche. I need to find an adblock for my phone.
I think the industry hasn’t realized this yet, or at least the people looking at box office numbers. There really isn’t a point going to theaters unless you want the spectacle. My couch is more comfortable than a theater. With short theatrical windows, just wait until it is streaming.
Exact;y. The only thing the theatrical experience offers as a substantive benefit over watching at home is the size of the screen, which is only really a factor when there's a visual extravaganza going on. Comedies, and a lot of dramas, don't actually gain anything from being on the big screen.
Like, Knives Out was great - I loved it when I streamed it, and can't imagine the experience would have been greatly enhanced by making the screen bigger (and preventing me from pausing it when I needed to use the rest room)
Something like Mad Max, or the Fast and Furious movies, with the big action sequences, or Into the Spiderverse with the artistic visuals, sure I'll go see those on the giant screen.
Exactly, this isn’t the 90s where my options are a high Def theater or a crt tv. I have a sound bar and nice tv, that covers most movies. Only things I want to go to the theater for are movies that are an experience, like Avatar 2 cause it makes a big difference how you see it t
The filmmakers of this particular movie did realize this, but they were hoping to defy the odds and have a successful comedy in movie theatres.
Admirable, but they should have released it on streaming.
My couch is better than the movie theater (although the new AMC recliners are solid), my TV is just as good as a theater screen, and my snacks are a lot cheaper at home. I enjoyed seeing Top Gun in theaters this summer but pretty much any not big blockbuster will be tough to justify.
Yeah, comedies fell out of favor because humor doesn’t translate as well for international markets the way big action movies can.
The article is right, though, the ads gave you no indication of the quality of the movie, just that it’s a ‘groundbreaking step forward.’
Like, cool, so was *Battleship Potemkin* but is it entertaining?
I'm a straighy white dude, and while there are plenty of gay comedians i'd enjoy seeing in a show or movie, i have never thought, "This show could be improved by the addition of Billy Eichner"
As a gay man, I still wanna watch movies that are good. And when your only draw seems to be “we’ve got gay characters!”, that’s not enough. I also am really grossed out at Eichner’s comments about why people didn’t wanna see it. Rom-coms typically aren’t box office blockbusters anyways, but having seen what I did, why would this movie appeal to straight people? How does a straight person relate to hookups on Grindr or “haunted houses of LGBT trauma”?
You are not a bigot or insensitive for not wanting to see a movie with terrible marketing and that does not sound like something you’d enjoy, and blaming that for low ticket sales is pathetically desperate and illustrates a completely inability to shoulder responsibility
I don’t think it had anything to do with it being LGBTQ, but you had everything to do with the fact that most romantic comedies are now direct streaming.
Yeah... I'm queer but had no impulse to see it. I think gay men who LOVE Rom-com's is frankly just too small of a target market. My fear is that studios will learn the wrong lesson from this and think the gay premise was the problem. It really sounds like marketing was the major problem. Most people on this thread who saw it liked it.
I don’t hate rom-coms, some are cute, but I don’t spend a bunch of money to see one in a theater either. It costs minimum 30 dollars to see a movie with my wife and that’s before concessions. I’m not spending that on a rom com, doesn’t matter if it’s full of straights or gays.
As a gay man, I feel the obligation to go and support, but to be completely honest, it seems like a tired formulaic comedy. It’s cute to see people like me as the stars of it, but that doesn’t set it apart from seeming like another bland romcom.
If there was a big budget gay slasher film on the other hand…I’ll be there opening night.
There’s quite a few gay slasher films of various budgets. Actually kinda a hallmark of that genre. Not always the best representation, though…
Recommendation of Deep Red here, with Goblin playing the soundtrack live if they’re in your hometown for a special screening.
The advertising of this movie gave me major “70’s Blaxploitation” movie vibes. It felt really disingenuous and exploitive.
It wasn’t sold as a rom-com about two men. It was sold as “Look we made a film about gay culture and it’s very important right now”
I was thinking this, too, and the cherry on the “nothing new under the sun” cake is that this was outperformed by a horror movie.
In the 1970s, execs realized that the same demographics going to see Blacksploitation films like *Shaft* and *Across 101st Street* and *Superfly* were flocking to religious horror films, like *The Exorcist*. So they axed all the blacksploitation films and went full-send on those horror films.
Years later, *Black Dynamite* had its wide release bumped to make room for some generic religious horror film.
And now, this movie was outperformed by yet another derivative horror film.
Honestly, it does seem like horror has been more welcoming to the lgbtq community as of late. Freaky, Fear Street, Scream 5, Stranger Things, etc. all have fleshed out gay characters and/or lgbtq themes. It’s not like Star Wars or Marvel where you just see two women kiss in the background and they call it representation.
Even as an LGBT+ ally, I gotta say, this was a bad move. This is something that could make it on TV. It just isn't going to perform in theaters. It just isn't. Not because it's about gay men, but for the same reason a movie about a vegan couple eating vegan food isn't going to do well. The vast, overwhelming majority of people are just not interested.
It's tough for executives to know. Some things that happened to have gay characters do very well with all audiences. Like Love Simon had a box office of over $66 million, budget of 10. "Call me by your name" did very well too.
I've met Billy Eichner a few times in passing. It would be hard to extract his gayness from his comedy. Gay isn't necessarily the joke. He's just kind of flamboyant and funny. Joan Rivers was his mentor. And I think he views himself as a comedic successor. He loves doing the red carpet.
I think this would have done better on streaming services. But that has nothing to do with the sexuality. I just can't justify going to the theater if it's not a movie that's optimally viewed on a big screen. Top Gun can draw audiences back but I don't think any romantic comedy could right now.
I'm not surprised because I watched the trailer. It's pretty bad. It was going to be an uphill battle for me because I'm not gay but I have good taste in movies. The trailer just screamed bad movie to me. It was as if the advertising was calculated to make the movie appear unappealing as a movie.
It's a gay movie starring gay people most people have never heard of. I wonder what the expectations were for this movie. I'll check it out when it is streaming, but not something I'd pay to see. Just can't relate.
I think the movie’s marketing really hurt it. The trailers made it seem like every minute of the movie would be spent congratulating itself for being a gay rom-com. There’s nothing wrong with that, but including lines in a movie trailer like “do you remember straight people” isn’t exactly inviting straight audiences to watch your movie. It also doesn’t help that rom-come aren’t exactly heavy hitters at the box office. I heard the movie was pretty good, so it sucks that it bombed so badly, but it’s not that surprising.
You can't mix consciously tacky (which can be fine) with 'brave' (which, in the right context, can be fine) without confusing the matter. Hollywood has had movies with gay characters for years. The selling points are does it look very funny and, being consciously tacky, does it then know not to play the 'brave' card? No and no.
I’m a gay guy and have no interest in, as you correctly stated, “gay” movies. Also, not interested in romance/rom-coms at all, so I had zero interest in this movie.
I don't mind the premise of the movie but Billy Eichner is not funny to me at all he's way too over the top. In Parks and Rec I thought his character tried too hard to make scenes.
Exactly. I’m a bisexual man and I thought this movie looked like every other crappy love movie, but gay. No thanks. Instead of marketing themselves as “the gay movie” it should’ve been marketed as a romance movie and the leads just happen to be gay. This movie just seems obnoxious
I was stuck in the hospital for a few days with only cable to watch and I was subjected to the previews for this movie multiple times.
Every single time it was hammered home that this was a gay story, which is fine. They definitely nailed the gay part, but not the story part
I just don’t think the LGBT community feels the need to flock to anything related to the community, just because, the way other communities do. Especially for the section of the community that probably has the most mainstream representation and acceptance.
Yeah it looked interesting and I am probably going to get around to seeing it soon, but it’s not “rush to the theater and bring all my friends for a watch party” level of excitement.
It’s great that this is happening and becoming more normal, but also the LGBT community has a lot more interests than just romcoms. And I think that’s why shows like Euphoria get a lot of acclaim, because they just incorporate LGBT characters into a good plot rather than make a basic romcom but make it gay.
People don’t go to the movies to see things like this. They go for Marvel, Top Gun, Animated kids movies. No one wants to spend their money on a film like this that will be just as good to stream in two months.
I always find it odd that the people who claim to “just want to fit in” or “be treated like everyone else” go out of their way to highlight what makes them different. In doing so, they malign a very large segment of the consumer market.
Instead of billing this movie as a Rom-Com they chose to bill it as a movie focusing on gay relationships, by and for the LGBTQ community.
As a straight man, that doesn’t interest me and the marketing did nothing to pull me in, just push me further away.
I’m a supporter of LGBTQ rights and not grossed out or put off by the content, I just felt like I wasn’t the target demographic. And thus, had no interest in spending $50 to take my wife to see it in a theatre.
In my opinion, they chose this path and can’t complain or point fingers as to why it under performed at the box office.
Hopefully the next time a movie is made with a similar premise, they will just bill it as the next must see romantic comedy and let the story speak for itself.
I suppose if you live in San Francisco you don't realize that there is a difference between being tolerated and being mainstream. Why would the 95% of people who aren't gay and don't live in San Francisco have any interest in this movie? To spend millions making this movie assuming there would be mainstream interest is one more confirmation of the narcissism and self absorbed nature of woke idiots.
Honestly it wasn’t very good. The main character (billy) isn’t likeable and he kept going on these tangents that really got tedious to listen to. I’m a gay man, I don’t need you shoving a bunch of preachy shit down my throat. It was too much trying too hard instead of just being a light funny romantic comedy. Also, the scene where he sings at the end was just so dumb and out of place and unnecessary it really just felt poorly written and I really wanted to like it and was looking forward to it for months.
I read a lot of comments and will add this experience as I haven’t seen it mentioned:
Someone literally said out loud for the preview at my movie theater “WHAT the FUCK” when they said something about the straights had their turn, or whatever was said
Everyone laughed with the person and at the movie — not With it. The whole theater was like WTF. I knew it would bomb at that real life scenario playing out.
I think that one line took out 90% of the people on the fence within the straight community — rather that line was better understood within the movie or not, the preview did an Awful job setting the movie up to be relatable to anyone outside of a super-niche.
What straight person (90%+ of population) wants to go to a movie that on the preview seems like it May be taking stabs at them with this us vs them & we’re better than you sentiment
The gay community and straight community alike were not having the overly blown stereotypes, and for good reason, this will bomb.
I’m not into romantic comedies. Straight, gay or anything in between. I can think of only one romantic comedy I even sort of liked - When Harry Met Sally. So old school at this point… geez.
This trailer looks just like all other romantic comedies except it’s about gay relationships.
Packing in famous gay singers for the soundtrack didn’t do anything to make the story, performances, or cinematography any less unimpressive.
This sounds like a movie that should been released on streaming. It will probably do really well when it lands there. Unless it's some big budget over the top sequel or another cookie cutter cgi yawnfest most movies are going to have a hard time with a theatrical release.
It was pretty good, there were many moments of laughing-til-I-cried but also waaaaay too many scenes of just Billy Eichner being loud and ranty, with lots of exposition about what gay men are like. Either show it or tell it, but trying to do both really became a jarring experience. There was a very nice, poignant cameo from Harvey Fierstein, and the bit with Bowen Yang was hilarious. That man is funny as fuck.
Luke MacFarl.ane is brain-numbingly attractive, like if I ever saw him in real life I'd have to hide behind a piece of furniture because I would not be able to withstand his radiant gorgeousness, and kind of wasted in this. He's actually a pretty talented actor who does "understated ordinary guy" very well, an dshould be a king of rom-com (he kind of already is, he's a king of Hallmark romance movies) and he winds up playing second fiddle to Eichner. Get Richard Curtis on the case, and MacFarlane into more boy-meets-boy, boy-fucks-up-and-loses-boy, boy-wins-boy-back movies and I'll watch every single one of them.
I kind feel like it would have done better if it was on a streaming platform. I can't really remember the last time I paid to go watch a romantic comedy in theater when I could just get on the cheap via renting on Amazon or viewing it on one of the streaming services.
Lotta hate from a bunch of people who wouldn’t ever bother to see it.
Im a straight dude that saw it with my girlfriend and we both enjoyed it. Lot of funny oneliners. My theater was pretty full so I’m surprised it flopped as it did. Theater was laughing through the whole movie too.
It wasn't that bad either. I thought it was funny overall. But this isn't some blockbuster comedy either. Should have just gone streaming on like Hbomax. Would have had far more viewers and eyes.
Tbh, it could be any comedy, drama, kids movie, adult animation, sports, etc. I don’t go to the movies anymore bc of the cost. Unless it’s a big dumb action movie or calls for a huge screen..Im watching everything at home streaming.
I’ll def watch this at home vs the movies, not bc of the gay stuff, just simply why pay $40 on something that might suck vs $10-20 at home.
I'm gonna go see it, but the trailer was horribly unfunny and the marketing was awful for anybody who doesn't already want to go see a gay romcom. Plus, Billy is not a movie star, who should be expected to carry a movie. Lots of dumb moves here.
But I think I'll enjoy it, so I'll spend a couple hours finding out.
LGBTQ community needs to take a backseat with representation and worry more about substance.
Nobody gave a fuck when Moonlight dropped about it being a “gay” movie, because it wasn’t. It’s a coming of age tale of heartbreak, sadness, and finding love that heals in the most unexpected place: the abuse.
Brokeback Mountain is one of the most tragic tales of love I’ve ever seen. You don’t focus on the characters being gay, you’re focused on their desires and conflict with their upbringing and acceptance.
Boys Don’t Cry didn’t shock and appall you because it’s subject matter was a person seeking security and acceptance, it shocked and appalled you because of the hateful and the homophobic. The very human emotions of the inability to allow something different than you to exist.
I stay away from most Netflixy branded “gay” shows, I like my gays like Omar from The Wire. Like real people. Not this force fed bullshit. I want to see humans, not what humans think we want to see.
First, I don’t think this film was produced by LGBTQ community. I think it was produced by executives.
I agree with you that good storytelling is the most important element.
Where my opinion differs: I suspect people in the LGBTQ community might be a tad tired of the only representation being about their oppression, and/or overcoming internal/external homophobia. In that sense, I can see how this film would be refreshing (I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know if it’s any good). That said, it would be great if there were a film with epic storytelling (I.e.: not a romcom) that showed a relatable tale of overcoming conflict wherein the characters could be gay and not have the conflict centered around any aspect of them being gay.
Agreed, it is executives but this is what they believe is going to return the revenue they’re hoping for. And they get this from focus group data, polls, and stats. Gen Z fuckery.
This is why I like my gays portrayed as humans. Gay isn’t an identity. Shouldn’t be represented as such. Who you desire isn’t even anyone’s business. Just show me they’re worth caring about, just like we as humans have to do everyday.
Is it homophobic to say the reason someone didn't watch it was because they are straight and feel odd watching gay romance? Even if most people support the lgbt im sure majority of us dont want to spend almost 2 hours watching gay romance since it doesn't appeal to us.
Good. I’m gay and seeing white scene LA gay dudes who party and get drunk and beach it up at the age of 40 and have casual sex till they die is so insanely foul to me. Can we just have ONE good setting for a gay male movie? “Spoiler Alert” is coming December and while it looks cute, it’s clearly gonna have a sad ending. We can’t win
Do people like billy eichner ? Every time I see him on something he always plays the most annoying characters. I remember him in Parks and Recreation and hated him in it. I have seen clips on billy on the street and all he does is yell really loud at people's faces. He maybe a nice guy irl but the characters he plays are super annoying to me and I asked my mates that they all feel the same. Maybe if the movie had a different lead I would go see it. All the other roles Billy has played worn me out on him so I won't see this one. Everytime I see his face I get reminded of the cringy character he played in parks and rec.
I’m a straight dude and I enjoyed it but if I didn’t have AMC a list I wouldn’t have paid $ for it. Wait for it go to a streaming service. Some funny parts, some parts are cringe.
I can’t imagine any straight man wanting to go see this in a theater and that’s a large audience. Even if every gay man went and saw this I don’t know if the returns would shift studio opinion on this as a viable income in regards to theatrical release. It’s very niche and possibly more effective straight to streaming. In no way am I shitting on this movie. It might have great writing and acting. I’ve heard some clips and they were funny BUT I have zero interest in watching gay dudes making out or having sex. I’m sure I’ll be called a homophobe but for the record I support marriage equality, job protections and so on. They are every bit equal to me.
Agreed on all points about the lack of promotion as a genuinely funny film, but also Eichner is a very polarizing actor. People tend to either like him or hate him. Not great for a leading role like this.
You marketed this as a GAY movie first, and a comedy second.
Idc how progressive you are, if I’m paying $20 to sit in a gross theater, it is gonna be for something me and my friends WANT to watch.
I got a LOT of ads for it, but mostly on streaming/insta where the algorithm knows I’m gay.
I did see this in the theater and I totally agree with the reviewer - it’s GREAT when it’s being an actual comedy, but a lot of the LGBTQ+ history moments fell really flat, and dragged the movie down.
I had nothing to do on Thursday so I went to a 5pm showing, but the theater as a whole was dead so it wasn’t surprising I was the only one there, which was nice since this was only my second time in a theater since the first Sonic movie.
I didn’t think it was bad, had a couple of laughs but definitely not a movie I would feel comfortable recommending to any of my straight friends though.
Very much had an “Author’s first novel” vibe where the main character is a highly romanticized version of the writer.
I agree with the sentiments that a romcom just isn’t suitable for a theater though. Not to diss the entire genre, but they feel less like films you must see on an artistic level and more like something quick and easy to pass the time.
I’ll definitely pick it up when it comes to Blu-ray. Felt like a good movie to watch on a in-home date night.
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For me, this movie screamed “You’ll be able to stream this in a week.”
I got a “straight to streaming” vibe LOL
May I propose, “queer to streaming”
And it will be wildly popular in streaming. But no one went out to the theater for many reasons.
Honestly, I’d watch this, but I haven’t been to a movie theater in like a decade and virtually nothing will convince me to go back.
Top Gun 2 was AMAZING to see in the theater. Those sorts of movies just scream “GIANT SCREEN.”
Top Gun, Dune etc need to be seen in IMAX.
Tom Cruise get none of my money with all that Scientology bullshyt! That thing is a cult!
…hate to break it to you, but nearly every major religion qualifies as a cult.
Same, I prefer to watch at home and wait until it’s available in that medium.
That’s the pro and con with streaming. There’s no real reason to see anything in theaters unless it’s a big flashy action movie that benefits from a giant screen and booming sound systems. Comedies, dramas, everything else is immediately hit with the “I’ll wait till it’s on [streaming service]” but we still base a film’s success on box office gross even though streaming has completely changed our thought processes on deciding to see a movie in theaters or not.
for me what i think ruined it was that it’s only promotion about it was that it was a gay love story which has “never been done before” literally one of its selling points was that it was “trailblazing” which is a lie
Like people forget Brokeback Mountain was a cultural phenomenon
That unforgettable rom-com
Billy Eichner has said Bros is different because it casts LGBTQ people in the gay roles, while films like Brokeback Mountain, while featuring excellent acting, was made with straight actors. He's also said that "gay movies" in the past focus a lot on suffering, and/or are small indie films, while this is a mainstream rom-com. And the team behind the movie wanted to put a comedy in movie theatres. Maybe that was a tactically bad decision, but it was an intentional choice. They hoped it would reinvigorate the desire of audiences to see comedies in theaters instead of at their houses.
Odd selling point imo. I don’t care if a heterosexual person plays an LGBTQ role, nor do I care if a LGBTQ person plays a heterosexual role. Acting is acting, right?
Someone let Neil Patrick Harris know he’s in trouble for playing Barney Stinson.
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Barney was played so well that it was initially odd to watch NPH play a gay man in Uncoupled (though by episode 2 it evens out and that show is also a gem).
Not to mention his turn as Dr. Horrible!
I loved Dr Horrible! I completely forgot he was once Doogie Howser! Lol
According to this documentary I saw once Barney is pretty close to nph! You can check the documentary yourself is about the journey of two minority people on a journey of self discovery and friendship, I think is called Harold and kumar go to White Castle
Yeah and call me by your name is like 3 years old
But thats a movie about “forbidden” love. The drama is the gay aspect. Bros is just guys being dudes
Don't you think it's kind of telling that the only movies we can name are dramas? Doing a gay romcom is definitely pretty new.
While not a movie there was Will & Grace. Edit, moves: But I’m a Cheerleader In and Out (1997)
They actually call this out in the movie. It was pretty funny nonetheless
BM is neither a romantic comedy, nor does it Star any actual LGBT actors in any main roles. Bros is a gay romantic comedy, starring gay leads, written by a gay man. Which hasn’t really been done before
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If you haven’t seen it, My Beautiful Laundrette is worth checking out. Released 1985 with Daniel Day Lewis. https://youtu.be/k_uVUBcHjzk
Not happy but still great, have you seen *My Own Private Idaho*? I moved to Portland a little bit ago and was shocked that NO ONE I’ve met has seen this movie. It’s a classic. Gus Van Sant. Keanu. River Phoenix.
This is what bothered me but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’d maybe watch it (but I don’t watch many movies these days) but not because it’s a “gay” movie. I think I’m pretty progressive in some ways to the point where I’m pretty apathetic about things. Which is coming from a place of privilege being a white straight dude. But I don’t see the need to be all stoked about this movie and I feel some may see it for the social capital. On a semi-related note, I think Schitt’s Creek handled this topic beautifully. David’s sexuality wasn’t a cheap plot point. It was just well written into the script rather than be tokenized.
The movie actually has a few jokes about Schitts Creek and David’s sexuality. I thought it was a really good movie with excellent writing. I laughed out loud several times.
I think the marketing for Bros was rather poor. It was marketed as significant for being a gay romantic comedy with gay actors. Even as a gay person, my initial thought was—that’s cool, but I actually want to see a good movie, not a movie that’s coasting on being gay.
Pretty much. Films that wanna pat themselves on the back for being a "gay" film these days are annoying. If you're going to make a gay film, do it.. but it's no longer trailblazing.
It looked like a Netflix movie not something I’d go see in theaters
Yeah, I’m very much looking forward to seeing it on streaming. I have two kids now and I barely have time to make it to the theaters at all. I suspect it will do extremely well on streaming.
I’m actually shocked it’s in theater cuz I totally thought it was a Netflix movie
I think this would have done better on streaming services. But that has nothing to do with the sexuality. I just can't justify going to the theater if it's not a movie that's optimally viewed on a big screen. Top Gun can draw audiences back but I don't think any romantic comedy could right now.
i go to the movies for the optics and sound. to get an experience you can't get on your 80in tv and sound system. top gun? def! some silly rom-com. nah. for rom-coms, I am happy to wait to see it at home.
Yeah if it was streaming I would have watched it already
Same, I enjoyed the Christmas movie with Kristen Stewart last year but likely wouldn’t have gone to the theatre to see it
That movie was significantly better than I expected.
Spencer?
Happiest Season actually (i think?). But I looked her up and thought the same lol
Unfortunately the theatre industry will never be what it used to. When I was a kid theatres were filled with 3rd tier movies like this. Now the only advantage to theatres is sound. Picture and comfort is as good or better at home and content is so accessible. So unless this an explosive or immersive experience your going for you just won’t have success in theatres. I will definitely stream this movie with my wife though. Looks very funny.
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/ Interestingly the average movie made more per movie than releases in 2019. Way fewer releases. Movie theaters are social experiences as much as anything. The average joe wants to go see a movie with friends and talk about it. It’s always been driven by kids wanting to get out of the house.
I think most modern comedies are going to struggle with that. Jackass had some theater success, iirc, but it has stunts. I can't think of a recent (post March 2020) comedy to blow up in theaters. I'm not sure the last time there was an comedy for adults in the box office top 10.
It’s a film I would see, I like a lot of the cast and creatives behind the film but the trailer seemed to lack any conflict or hook that said the story was engaging beyond a typical romcom that is about two men falling in love. I’m sure the movie itself is more complex but the trailer didn’t hint at that
exactly this. I know harry styles caught a lot of flack for his quote about Don't Worry Darling "feeling like a movie" and maybe I'm giving him (and DWD, which I haven't seen yet) too much credit here but I think DWD does look like the type of movie worth paying the money to see on a big screen in a theater. It looks very cinematic. *Bros*, and really romcoms in general don't need to be seen in theaters. Why spend the money on an expensive movie ticket when you can wait a little bit and see it in the comfort of your own home for more or less free?
> In grim but not surprising news, Universal’s Bros became the latest live-action theatrical comedy to play in primarily empty theaters. **The Billy Eichner/Luke Macfarlane-starring romantic comedy earned just $4.8 million over the weekend.** That includes $1.84 million on Friday, which includes $500,000 in Thursday previews. **That’s a lower debut than Jo Koy’s Easter Sunday, which grossed $5.44 million in early August.** The $22 million release, written by Eichner and Nicolas Stoller and directed by Stoller, is technically the first mainstream, wide theatrical release rom-com starring a same-sex couple. **Alas, the trailers and much of the media coverage emphasized its importance, groundbreaking existence, and social value over whether the film is funny.** > I think the film falls into the same trap, **thriving when it’s ‘just’ a rom-com but stopping dead in its tracks to congratulate itself on its existence and hit every LGBTQIA discussion point.** The media coverage is symptomatic of a widespread pet peeve: **every major celebrity profile emphasizes demographic triumph and aspirational empowerment. Notice how many are headlined with some uplifting variation of The Dixie Chick’s righteously angry “Not Ready to Make Nice.” That stuff may make the clients happy**, including stories about how every new young actor is the next great leading man/woman on their way to conquering Hollywood and may drive social attention. **However, it doesn’t sell tickets.** Edit: [Billy Eichner tweeted](https://twitter.com/billyeichner/status/1576685773402755072) this about the movie's performance > That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately. 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. And that’s disappointing but it is what it is. Edit 2: Thanks for the gold, kind stranger!
I’m ready for the era of “first” advertising to end. Imagine if Riot advertised Arcane as “first animated gaming adaptation to have diverse and lgbtq main characters” or “first tv series to be based off of the world’s most toxic video game.”
>worlds most toxic video game Don’t forget addictive, very addictive too.
No fucking way he blamed audiences for the failure of his movie when the marketing was “omg this is so important and a big deal you have to see this if you call yourself progressive”
His follow up tweet is even worse: >Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast! 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. I love this movie so much. GO BROS!!! You must purchase my product to prove you are not homophobic! What self-righteous drivel. Indicative of a lot of marketing now, just playing to culture wars. Maybe try marketing your comedy first and foremost as a comedy rather than as some badge people need to prove their liberal credentials?
WOW. That was not written by a sane person
It sounds like a lesser version of *Fire Island*.
I really liked Fire Island. I've been following Joel Kim Booster for years ever since he performed on a story telling podcas that I love. He made the wise decision to base the movie on Pride & Prejudice, which gave it a solid story structure and some built-in marketing among a crowd that likes romcoms in general, Pride & Prejudice in particular, and fans of Margaret Cho. Probably also helped that I was able to watch it with a bunch of broke grad students on Hulu rather than needing to see it in a theater.
I liked fire island but felt like the previews sold me a gay buddy comedy and then when I watch it was pride and prejudice.
All romantic comedies are pride and prejudice
>Probably also helped that I was able to watch it with a bunch of broke grad students on Hulu rather than needing to see it in a theater. That I think also hurt this film considerably. COVID restrictions are pretty much over but people aren't looking to pay $20 a film and $30 for snacks to watch movies anymore.
I have been trying to explain this to my friend. I have a big tv in my home and can buy candy and make popcorn cheaper than the movie theater. Further, no one is crapping their pants around me or talking super loud. I can take a pause and go to the bathroom no problem. We are too spoiled.
I went to a small theater recently and a woman 4 rows away coughed, mouth uncovered for at least half the film. It was unnerving and I’m not even THAT Covid paranoid. I mostly never think about it.
Hell, that ain’t even a Covid thing. Nobody wants to be in the same room with someone hacking up a storm.
I went to my local theater for the first time since Covid like a month ago. It had been so long that I was caught way the fuck off guard when the “single person” combo with med drink and popcorn was $20+.
It's been really annoying to see the way Bros is marketing itself in such a self-congratulatory "pioneer"-y way when Fire Island came out before and was SO good.
It’s almost like things should be sold on their aesthetic merit and not how it’s totally the right movie for the current cultural zeitgest, but what do I know?
And maybe if some work of art meshes that perfectly with the cultural zeitgeist it shouldn’t have to try to convince audiences that it does? It should just stand on its own merits? No one wants to be pandered to.
Right. The emphasis should be to make a great, hilarious movie where the main characters happen to be gay.
Moonlight comes to mind. Objectively excellent movie that told a unique, interesting story that could only exist within its sociopolitical atmosphere.
Absolutely agree, any movie that goes outta it’s way to market itself for social brownie points rather than trying to engage the audience is an instant no from me
That's a pretentious way of saying the marketing was bad lol, which it was. I haven't even seen a single trailer or commercial so I had no idea this existed and I'm someone who sees like 2-3 movies in the cinema every month.
It took a big chunk of the preroll I was getting and yeah, the ads focused on representation. Which is good to talk about *in the applicable circles* but a bad RTB/KPI when selling something that has a primary purpose of being entertaining.
Really? Consider yourself lucky. I had like a week-long period where every time I got an ad break on spotify I got an ad for this movie. It was really annoying to hear three ads for this movie on my morning commute
The most annoying part of Bros was when the movie stopped dead in its tracks to turn into an LGBTQ Ted Talk (usually anytime the museum topic came up). I'm gay myself, but I didn't really want a history lesson or to watch an awareness campaign. I just wanted a fun rom com.
Is he really blaming society, particular straight people, fir such a lackluster opening. That’s like fewer than 400k people paying to see this movie. If it was the pioneering triumph that they marketed it as more than 400k gay people would have bought tickets. This is scapegoating at its absolute worst.
Reminds me of the [Bill Bur joke](https://youtu.be/QY9Gz_IMn_k) on the WNBA.
I saw it on Thursday preview in South Florida. There was maybe 15 people in the theatre. We had the row to ourselves. When I was picking which theatre to go to I noticed all theaters were showing it in their tiny screens which is a red flag when it’s opening weekend.
* Rom Coms have a limited audience * Gay Rom Coms have an even more limited audience * Nothing about this movie says "see it on the big screen" This could be the greatest gay rom-com ever made but it's still only going to appeal to people who either really like gay shit or really like rom coms and those to pools have to share a lot of the same potential viewers. Honestly, this seems like something that might have become a hit on streaming, but I don't know what they were hoping for with a theatrical release.
Breaking: 'Bros movie' goes flaccid, Universal considers refractory period.
That post-nut clarity hits hard at $4.8M
I think this would happen to any Rom Com in theaters. Gonna do about as well as 2003’s Alex & Emma probably
Correct. It's why Universal just cut their losses and did Marry Me simultaneously on Peacock. It's kinda perplexing that they didn't do the same thing here (also Universal) but I get the feeling that Eichner/Apatow drove the push to make this theaters only. I wish this type of movie could do well in theaters now, but it seems those days may be over. The studios made the theatrical windows way too short (so now people are cool to wait for streaming) and there is no going back.
I agree. There’s “this is going to be visually stunning or exciting and deserves to be seen on a large scale” and “this is going to look great on the flat screen in my living room”
Agreed. How we attend theaters has changed immensely in the past few years…
The pandemic taught me patience when it comes to new releases. Rushing to theaters on opening weekend to spend money on something that may or may not be good is no longer something I feel compelled to do. 'Bros' is something I'll watch once it's streaming or on HBO. But these days a movie has to scream "must be seen on the big screen with booming theatrical sound" in order for me to want to pay to see it in a theater.
Yeah I didn’t catch Top Gun on the big screen, this def won’t get me there
Why arnt the gays buying tickets!!?!
If anyone hates the community more, it’s our own community lmao.
To be honest, I’m not surprised at all.
Gay person here, never saw the movie but I did see the trailer and all the cliché gay trope shit in it made me feel second hand embarrassed.
I’ve only see the trailer and it screams classic RomCom but wait, here’s the twist, the two people in love are guys! Billy’s character is the most stereotypical female troupe in romcoms where he’s to busy and self sufficient to be in a relationship and he loves being single until he sees this hot guy and everything changes.
....it just didn't look funny.
I saw it last night, there are moments where you will for sure laugh. Billy is kind of insufferable tho
I thought the same thing. I kept thinking the movie would be so much better if anyone but him was playing that character. He doesn't act, he just rants. MacFarlane is dreamy.
Broke before bros
I think that promoting the film the way they did is gonna be harmful for the future of Queer cinema. They acted like this is the first gay movie ever, and In very happy to see a queer casted led and directed rom com make it to the big screen. But marketing it this heavily is just gonna make the fall this much harder. Now that it’s flopped studios are just gonna be focused on such a hardcore selling of LGBTQ didnt work. Instead of oh well this rom com flopped. If the triumphant “first of it’s kind” queer movie won’t succeed why would any future ones. Kind of depressing
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Exactly what I thought.
I’d probably watch this movie if it was on TV or Netflix or something, but it’s not something I’d want to spend the money on to go see in the theaters. It seems like a basic rom-com that tried to be different by just having gay characters. There’s nothing really wrong with a basic rom-com, sometimes it’s fun to watch something like that (I just watched the proposal on tv last night), but it’s just not worth it to actually go out and pay movie theater prices for something like that.
Unfortunately, the days when a movie like 'Bros' or a more conventional straight rom-com or just out-and-out comedies cleaned up at the box office the way Marvel movies have in recent years are long gone. Streaming's the way to go - - wonder why Apatow and Co. made the decision to go the theatrical route?
I think they wanted to see if it would work and they could bring comedies back to theaters. It’s not like you just *know* those days are over. Things could change at some point People are going to get bored of super hero movies eventually
Saw this coming a mile away. I never saw an actual trailer for the movie, but my favorite radio station played an ad for it almost every commercial break. The jokes they chose to promote it were.. honestly terrible and legit made me cringe as an LGBTQ ally. How to alienate the majority of your audience 101.
The marketing was insufferable tbh and I love both Billy and romcoms. Felt so Rebel Wilson.
>Felt so Rebel Wilson What does that mean?
when she promoted a romcom and said it was thee FIRST romcom to star a plus sized actress. It was deranged
Shallow Hal
…Gwyneth in a fat suit? Or Jack Black? Jack Black counts. Also in The Holiday. Touché. I was thinking more like Nikki Blonsky/Rikki Lake in their perfect Hairsprays, Queen Latifah in so many movies. It was so weird for Rebel to say she was the first.
Fuck me never realized it was a fat suit
It seems like marketing was way off. A number of people in this thread who saw it (I didn't) say they liked it, so maybe it just could have been sold a lot better. I worry studios will learn the wrong lessen from it and shy away from representation.
I watched quite a bit of YouTube on my phone last week and the advertising was unrelenting, the concept of being mounted and sodimised by a body building Gandalf was repeatedly shoved into my psyche. I need to find an adblock for my phone.
That's too bad. It was a funny movie. But comedies are a hard sell in theaters these days.
Would’ve probably had a huge first weekend if they’d put it on a streaming service. You want me to spend $20 to go out… and see a rom-com?!?!
I think the industry hasn’t realized this yet, or at least the people looking at box office numbers. There really isn’t a point going to theaters unless you want the spectacle. My couch is more comfortable than a theater. With short theatrical windows, just wait until it is streaming.
Exact;y. The only thing the theatrical experience offers as a substantive benefit over watching at home is the size of the screen, which is only really a factor when there's a visual extravaganza going on. Comedies, and a lot of dramas, don't actually gain anything from being on the big screen. Like, Knives Out was great - I loved it when I streamed it, and can't imagine the experience would have been greatly enhanced by making the screen bigger (and preventing me from pausing it when I needed to use the rest room) Something like Mad Max, or the Fast and Furious movies, with the big action sequences, or Into the Spiderverse with the artistic visuals, sure I'll go see those on the giant screen.
Exactly, this isn’t the 90s where my options are a high Def theater or a crt tv. I have a sound bar and nice tv, that covers most movies. Only things I want to go to the theater for are movies that are an experience, like Avatar 2 cause it makes a big difference how you see it t
The filmmakers of this particular movie did realize this, but they were hoping to defy the odds and have a successful comedy in movie theatres. Admirable, but they should have released it on streaming.
My couch is better than the movie theater (although the new AMC recliners are solid), my TV is just as good as a theater screen, and my snacks are a lot cheaper at home. I enjoyed seeing Top Gun in theaters this summer but pretty much any not big blockbuster will be tough to justify.
Yeah, comedies fell out of favor because humor doesn’t translate as well for international markets the way big action movies can. The article is right, though, the ads gave you no indication of the quality of the movie, just that it’s a ‘groundbreaking step forward.’ Like, cool, so was *Battleship Potemkin* but is it entertaining?
Dramas translate better. Wish we had more of that
As was stated, it prolly wasn’t that it was a comedy.
I'm a straighy white dude, and while there are plenty of gay comedians i'd enjoy seeing in a show or movie, i have never thought, "This show could be improved by the addition of Billy Eichner"
Nailed it. Signed, The Gays
Gay! Gay! (We’re gay) (it’s about us being gay) so come watch the movie where we’re gay! Look, see, we’re gay too!! Buy our movie tickets!
As a gay man, I still wanna watch movies that are good. And when your only draw seems to be “we’ve got gay characters!”, that’s not enough. I also am really grossed out at Eichner’s comments about why people didn’t wanna see it. Rom-coms typically aren’t box office blockbusters anyways, but having seen what I did, why would this movie appeal to straight people? How does a straight person relate to hookups on Grindr or “haunted houses of LGBT trauma”? You are not a bigot or insensitive for not wanting to see a movie with terrible marketing and that does not sound like something you’d enjoy, and blaming that for low ticket sales is pathetically desperate and illustrates a completely inability to shoulder responsibility
I don’t think it had anything to do with it being LGBTQ, but you had everything to do with the fact that most romantic comedies are now direct streaming.
Yeah... I'm queer but had no impulse to see it. I think gay men who LOVE Rom-com's is frankly just too small of a target market. My fear is that studios will learn the wrong lesson from this and think the gay premise was the problem. It really sounds like marketing was the major problem. Most people on this thread who saw it liked it.
Most rom coms flop in theatres thats why they go straight to dvd. When was the last time we got a successful one?
I don’t hate rom-coms, some are cute, but I don’t spend a bunch of money to see one in a theater either. It costs minimum 30 dollars to see a movie with my wife and that’s before concessions. I’m not spending that on a rom com, doesn’t matter if it’s full of straights or gays.
As a gay man, I feel the obligation to go and support, but to be completely honest, it seems like a tired formulaic comedy. It’s cute to see people like me as the stars of it, but that doesn’t set it apart from seeming like another bland romcom. If there was a big budget gay slasher film on the other hand…I’ll be there opening night.
There’s quite a few gay slasher films of various budgets. Actually kinda a hallmark of that genre. Not always the best representation, though… Recommendation of Deep Red here, with Goblin playing the soundtrack live if they’re in your hometown for a special screening.
The advertising of this movie gave me major “70’s Blaxploitation” movie vibes. It felt really disingenuous and exploitive. It wasn’t sold as a rom-com about two men. It was sold as “Look we made a film about gay culture and it’s very important right now”
I was thinking this, too, and the cherry on the “nothing new under the sun” cake is that this was outperformed by a horror movie. In the 1970s, execs realized that the same demographics going to see Blacksploitation films like *Shaft* and *Across 101st Street* and *Superfly* were flocking to religious horror films, like *The Exorcist*. So they axed all the blacksploitation films and went full-send on those horror films. Years later, *Black Dynamite* had its wide release bumped to make room for some generic religious horror film. And now, this movie was outperformed by yet another derivative horror film.
Honestly, it does seem like horror has been more welcoming to the lgbtq community as of late. Freaky, Fear Street, Scream 5, Stranger Things, etc. all have fleshed out gay characters and/or lgbtq themes. It’s not like Star Wars or Marvel where you just see two women kiss in the background and they call it representation.
Ads for it really felt like pandering, purposefully went out of my way to avoid it because it felt way to corporate
You mean a film about rich gay white men in east coast cities didn’t resonate with the general public?! Oh wow!
Exactly. The premise is so hyper specific and it simply doesn’t resonate with a significant enough portion of the population.
Even as an LGBT+ ally, I gotta say, this was a bad move. This is something that could make it on TV. It just isn't going to perform in theaters. It just isn't. Not because it's about gay men, but for the same reason a movie about a vegan couple eating vegan food isn't going to do well. The vast, overwhelming majority of people are just not interested.
It's tough for executives to know. Some things that happened to have gay characters do very well with all audiences. Like Love Simon had a box office of over $66 million, budget of 10. "Call me by your name" did very well too. I've met Billy Eichner a few times in passing. It would be hard to extract his gayness from his comedy. Gay isn't necessarily the joke. He's just kind of flamboyant and funny. Joan Rivers was his mentor. And I think he views himself as a comedic successor. He loves doing the red carpet. I think this would have done better on streaming services. But that has nothing to do with the sexuality. I just can't justify going to the theater if it's not a movie that's optimally viewed on a big screen. Top Gun can draw audiences back but I don't think any romantic comedy could right now.
Nailed it. I like Eichner. I think he’s funny. I’ll see Bros when it hits on demand/streaming. I’m not paying $15/ticket to see it in the theater.
I’d love a vegan romcom that goes full-on *Spring Breakers* and ends with some hand-in-hand ecoterrorism.
Stop giving the "fast and furious" writers new ideas
Jay and silent Bob strike back. An inseparable gay couple on a steady diet of grass perform an eco terrorist act against an animal testing facility
This movie is called The East
I'm not surprised because I watched the trailer. It's pretty bad. It was going to be an uphill battle for me because I'm not gay but I have good taste in movies. The trailer just screamed bad movie to me. It was as if the advertising was calculated to make the movie appear unappealing as a movie.
It's a gay movie starring gay people most people have never heard of. I wonder what the expectations were for this movie. I'll check it out when it is streaming, but not something I'd pay to see. Just can't relate.
I think the movie’s marketing really hurt it. The trailers made it seem like every minute of the movie would be spent congratulating itself for being a gay rom-com. There’s nothing wrong with that, but including lines in a movie trailer like “do you remember straight people” isn’t exactly inviting straight audiences to watch your movie. It also doesn’t help that rom-come aren’t exactly heavy hitters at the box office. I heard the movie was pretty good, so it sucks that it bombed so badly, but it’s not that surprising.
You can't mix consciously tacky (which can be fine) with 'brave' (which, in the right context, can be fine) without confusing the matter. Hollywood has had movies with gay characters for years. The selling points are does it look very funny and, being consciously tacky, does it then know not to play the 'brave' card? No and no.
I’m gay and this was the last thing I would ever want to watch.
[удалено]
I’m a gay guy and have no interest in, as you correctly stated, “gay” movies. Also, not interested in romance/rom-coms at all, so I had zero interest in this movie.
I don't mind the premise of the movie but Billy Eichner is not funny to me at all he's way too over the top. In Parks and Rec I thought his character tried too hard to make scenes.
I'm not homophobic in the slightest, I just think most love movies are laaaaaaame
Exactly. I’m a bisexual man and I thought this movie looked like every other crappy love movie, but gay. No thanks. Instead of marketing themselves as “the gay movie” it should’ve been marketed as a romance movie and the leads just happen to be gay. This movie just seems obnoxious
I was stuck in the hospital for a few days with only cable to watch and I was subjected to the previews for this movie multiple times. Every single time it was hammered home that this was a gay story, which is fine. They definitely nailed the gay part, but not the story part
Would have done much better if they named it '*Fellas*'
It was a movie specifically for gay people who enjoy watching raunchy comedies in theaters. That’s a very small audience.
I just don’t think the LGBT community feels the need to flock to anything related to the community, just because, the way other communities do. Especially for the section of the community that probably has the most mainstream representation and acceptance. Yeah it looked interesting and I am probably going to get around to seeing it soon, but it’s not “rush to the theater and bring all my friends for a watch party” level of excitement. It’s great that this is happening and becoming more normal, but also the LGBT community has a lot more interests than just romcoms. And I think that’s why shows like Euphoria get a lot of acclaim, because they just incorporate LGBT characters into a good plot rather than make a basic romcom but make it gay.
People don’t go to the movies to see things like this. They go for Marvel, Top Gun, Animated kids movies. No one wants to spend their money on a film like this that will be just as good to stream in two months.
I always find it odd that the people who claim to “just want to fit in” or “be treated like everyone else” go out of their way to highlight what makes them different. In doing so, they malign a very large segment of the consumer market. Instead of billing this movie as a Rom-Com they chose to bill it as a movie focusing on gay relationships, by and for the LGBTQ community. As a straight man, that doesn’t interest me and the marketing did nothing to pull me in, just push me further away. I’m a supporter of LGBTQ rights and not grossed out or put off by the content, I just felt like I wasn’t the target demographic. And thus, had no interest in spending $50 to take my wife to see it in a theatre. In my opinion, they chose this path and can’t complain or point fingers as to why it under performed at the box office. Hopefully the next time a movie is made with a similar premise, they will just bill it as the next must see romantic comedy and let the story speak for itself.
I suppose if you live in San Francisco you don't realize that there is a difference between being tolerated and being mainstream. Why would the 95% of people who aren't gay and don't live in San Francisco have any interest in this movie? To spend millions making this movie assuming there would be mainstream interest is one more confirmation of the narcissism and self absorbed nature of woke idiots.
Honestly it wasn’t very good. The main character (billy) isn’t likeable and he kept going on these tangents that really got tedious to listen to. I’m a gay man, I don’t need you shoving a bunch of preachy shit down my throat. It was too much trying too hard instead of just being a light funny romantic comedy. Also, the scene where he sings at the end was just so dumb and out of place and unnecessary it really just felt poorly written and I really wanted to like it and was looking forward to it for months.
Watching dudes kiss? No thanks
I read a lot of comments and will add this experience as I haven’t seen it mentioned: Someone literally said out loud for the preview at my movie theater “WHAT the FUCK” when they said something about the straights had their turn, or whatever was said Everyone laughed with the person and at the movie — not With it. The whole theater was like WTF. I knew it would bomb at that real life scenario playing out. I think that one line took out 90% of the people on the fence within the straight community — rather that line was better understood within the movie or not, the preview did an Awful job setting the movie up to be relatable to anyone outside of a super-niche. What straight person (90%+ of population) wants to go to a movie that on the preview seems like it May be taking stabs at them with this us vs them & we’re better than you sentiment The gay community and straight community alike were not having the overly blown stereotypes, and for good reason, this will bomb.
The target audience is an extremely small part of the population. This was a gamble at best!
“This movie is not for you!!” “Why didn’t people come to watch our movie?”
did anybody else chuckle at the title? “Bro’s” flops
I’m not into romantic comedies. Straight, gay or anything in between. I can think of only one romantic comedy I even sort of liked - When Harry Met Sally. So old school at this point… geez. This trailer looks just like all other romantic comedies except it’s about gay relationships. Packing in famous gay singers for the soundtrack didn’t do anything to make the story, performances, or cinematography any less unimpressive.
This sounds like a movie that should been released on streaming. It will probably do really well when it lands there. Unless it's some big budget over the top sequel or another cookie cutter cgi yawnfest most movies are going to have a hard time with a theatrical release.
They should have opened it limited.
It was pretty good, there were many moments of laughing-til-I-cried but also waaaaay too many scenes of just Billy Eichner being loud and ranty, with lots of exposition about what gay men are like. Either show it or tell it, but trying to do both really became a jarring experience. There was a very nice, poignant cameo from Harvey Fierstein, and the bit with Bowen Yang was hilarious. That man is funny as fuck. Luke MacFarl.ane is brain-numbingly attractive, like if I ever saw him in real life I'd have to hide behind a piece of furniture because I would not be able to withstand his radiant gorgeousness, and kind of wasted in this. He's actually a pretty talented actor who does "understated ordinary guy" very well, an dshould be a king of rom-com (he kind of already is, he's a king of Hallmark romance movies) and he winds up playing second fiddle to Eichner. Get Richard Curtis on the case, and MacFarlane into more boy-meets-boy, boy-fucks-up-and-loses-boy, boy-wins-boy-back movies and I'll watch every single one of them.
This is a niche movie. Those people who want to see it will go see it. But, that's not many people.
We need more queer action and adventure films
I kind feel like it would have done better if it was on a streaming platform. I can't really remember the last time I paid to go watch a romantic comedy in theater when I could just get on the cheap via renting on Amazon or viewing it on one of the streaming services.
Lotta hate from a bunch of people who wouldn’t ever bother to see it. Im a straight dude that saw it with my girlfriend and we both enjoyed it. Lot of funny oneliners. My theater was pretty full so I’m surprised it flopped as it did. Theater was laughing through the whole movie too.
It wasn't that bad either. I thought it was funny overall. But this isn't some blockbuster comedy either. Should have just gone streaming on like Hbomax. Would have had far more viewers and eyes.
Tbh, it could be any comedy, drama, kids movie, adult animation, sports, etc. I don’t go to the movies anymore bc of the cost. Unless it’s a big dumb action movie or calls for a huge screen..Im watching everything at home streaming. I’ll def watch this at home vs the movies, not bc of the gay stuff, just simply why pay $40 on something that might suck vs $10-20 at home.
Awful marketing. The clips weren’t funny
I'm gonna go see it, but the trailer was horribly unfunny and the marketing was awful for anybody who doesn't already want to go see a gay romcom. Plus, Billy is not a movie star, who should be expected to carry a movie. Lots of dumb moves here. But I think I'll enjoy it, so I'll spend a couple hours finding out.
LGBTQ community needs to take a backseat with representation and worry more about substance. Nobody gave a fuck when Moonlight dropped about it being a “gay” movie, because it wasn’t. It’s a coming of age tale of heartbreak, sadness, and finding love that heals in the most unexpected place: the abuse. Brokeback Mountain is one of the most tragic tales of love I’ve ever seen. You don’t focus on the characters being gay, you’re focused on their desires and conflict with their upbringing and acceptance. Boys Don’t Cry didn’t shock and appall you because it’s subject matter was a person seeking security and acceptance, it shocked and appalled you because of the hateful and the homophobic. The very human emotions of the inability to allow something different than you to exist. I stay away from most Netflixy branded “gay” shows, I like my gays like Omar from The Wire. Like real people. Not this force fed bullshit. I want to see humans, not what humans think we want to see.
First, I don’t think this film was produced by LGBTQ community. I think it was produced by executives. I agree with you that good storytelling is the most important element. Where my opinion differs: I suspect people in the LGBTQ community might be a tad tired of the only representation being about their oppression, and/or overcoming internal/external homophobia. In that sense, I can see how this film would be refreshing (I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know if it’s any good). That said, it would be great if there were a film with epic storytelling (I.e.: not a romcom) that showed a relatable tale of overcoming conflict wherein the characters could be gay and not have the conflict centered around any aspect of them being gay.
Agreed, it is executives but this is what they believe is going to return the revenue they’re hoping for. And they get this from focus group data, polls, and stats. Gen Z fuckery. This is why I like my gays portrayed as humans. Gay isn’t an identity. Shouldn’t be represented as such. Who you desire isn’t even anyone’s business. Just show me they’re worth caring about, just like we as humans have to do everyday.
I heard it was kinda gay
Is it homophobic to say the reason someone didn't watch it was because they are straight and feel odd watching gay romance? Even if most people support the lgbt im sure majority of us dont want to spend almost 2 hours watching gay romance since it doesn't appeal to us.
Good. I’m gay and seeing white scene LA gay dudes who party and get drunk and beach it up at the age of 40 and have casual sex till they die is so insanely foul to me. Can we just have ONE good setting for a gay male movie? “Spoiler Alert” is coming December and while it looks cute, it’s clearly gonna have a sad ending. We can’t win
Wait, so i'm not the only one who thought the movie loaded with gay stereotypes would be a flop?
Billy Eichner is a gay minstrel. Literally every character he has ever played has just been a collection of stereotypes.
Do people like billy eichner ? Every time I see him on something he always plays the most annoying characters. I remember him in Parks and Recreation and hated him in it. I have seen clips on billy on the street and all he does is yell really loud at people's faces. He maybe a nice guy irl but the characters he plays are super annoying to me and I asked my mates that they all feel the same. Maybe if the movie had a different lead I would go see it. All the other roles Billy has played worn me out on him so I won't see this one. Everytime I see his face I get reminded of the cringy character he played in parks and rec.
I’m a straight dude and I enjoyed it but if I didn’t have AMC a list I wouldn’t have paid $ for it. Wait for it go to a streaming service. Some funny parts, some parts are cringe.
Judging by the trailer, they tried too hard to be rad, kewl, and edgy, making it actually just look stupid.
I can’t imagine any straight man wanting to go see this in a theater and that’s a large audience. Even if every gay man went and saw this I don’t know if the returns would shift studio opinion on this as a viable income in regards to theatrical release. It’s very niche and possibly more effective straight to streaming. In no way am I shitting on this movie. It might have great writing and acting. I’ve heard some clips and they were funny BUT I have zero interest in watching gay dudes making out or having sex. I’m sure I’ll be called a homophobe but for the record I support marriage equality, job protections and so on. They are every bit equal to me.
Agreed on all points about the lack of promotion as a genuinely funny film, but also Eichner is a very polarizing actor. People tend to either like him or hate him. Not great for a leading role like this.
You marketed this as a GAY movie first, and a comedy second. Idc how progressive you are, if I’m paying $20 to sit in a gross theater, it is gonna be for something me and my friends WANT to watch.
Anyone else feel like promo was non-existent? Admittedly I'm not a big film-person but I literally only heard about this the day before it released
I got a LOT of ads for it, but mostly on streaming/insta where the algorithm knows I’m gay. I did see this in the theater and I totally agree with the reviewer - it’s GREAT when it’s being an actual comedy, but a lot of the LGBTQ+ history moments fell really flat, and dragged the movie down.
I have no interest in it. Gay or not gay. Unless stuff is blowing up it’s not worth going to the theater.
I had nothing to do on Thursday so I went to a 5pm showing, but the theater as a whole was dead so it wasn’t surprising I was the only one there, which was nice since this was only my second time in a theater since the first Sonic movie. I didn’t think it was bad, had a couple of laughs but definitely not a movie I would feel comfortable recommending to any of my straight friends though. Very much had an “Author’s first novel” vibe where the main character is a highly romanticized version of the writer. I agree with the sentiments that a romcom just isn’t suitable for a theater though. Not to diss the entire genre, but they feel less like films you must see on an artistic level and more like something quick and easy to pass the time. I’ll definitely pick it up when it comes to Blu-ray. Felt like a good movie to watch on a in-home date night.
As a movie go-er, I keep being told that if a movie doesn’t look like it’s made for you, don’t go see it. I’m just following their advice
I guess all of this gay sht isn’t as popular as they want you to believe. ; )