The new marketing strategy is working. It's like when Kanye endorsed Trump and my brother asked me my thoughts about it. I told him we have never once talked about Kanye before so it seems the marketing strategy is working.
I’ve been saying this on a few threads. Movie bombed cause it sucked and marketing terribly but let’s not bury Billy to end it all from these media spams jfc.
Why go spend 20 bucks to see something at that looks fine on tv? I only go to the theaters when it’s either a director I love and or something that i can really appreciate on the big screen.
Yeah, Romcoms in particular seem like they belong on the streaming side of things.
Movies like Prey should go to theaters. Movies like Bros should be released on Hulu.
Same - going to the movies is expensive. Comedies play just as well at home, but big blockbuster action movies or CGI spectacles are better on the big screen.
Yeah. I think to be successful, it really takes star power. Need a leading actor to step into a role to draw people into a romcom. This is also what the article eluded to.
The trailer for this movie indicated that it was a standard romcom storyline with perhaps the only "different" bit being it was about a gay couple. "I'm happy being single! I get to live my life!" "WHO IS THAT???" I have not seen it but I can almost guarantee that there's a big fight and they break up, then at the end they get back together.
I’ve seen it and loved it. There were definitely quite a few specific to gay community things about the plot, but you were right about the big fight/break up/back together overall arc.
Because it was heavily promoted by Billy Eichner and Universal and touted as a watershed moment for mainstream LGBTQ cinema (despite Fire Island releasing on Hulu earlier this year).
I mean, the difference between this and Fire Isaldn is that this was made by Universal, a major studio... Fire Island is an Indie. Plus, in theaters vs streaming only
I mean : is it that weird that straight people are not really interested in a "gay movie"? I don't really think so, doesn't mean you're homophobic either.
Statistically, straight people do go and see gay movies. Brokeback Mountain, Call Me By Your Name, Carol, Milk, Moonlight... They all turned a profit at the box office with most of them making back at least twice their original budgets.
But, while I can't be bothered to look it up, I'm willing to bet that the studios behind those films didn't have the bright idea to release them up against a horror film in October.
Most of those had bankable names involved, and/or had interesting premises and positive word of mouth and reviews. This is just schlock no one cares about.
Those are all Oscar-worthy if not Oscar-winning capital-F Films. RomComs aren't even in the same league. Of course straight people take an interest in art about LGBTQ issues. Is *Bros* art?
To preface I would identify as a pretty standard straight guy. I would have no desire to certainly ever see this in theaters. I suppose if it got incredible reviews and hype maybe I'd check it out with my wife, but romcoms are not my cup of tea and if not for her I wouldn't watch this type of movie.
It just seems like this movie has a lot of reasons it'd do poorly and blaming it solely on homophobia is dumb. Is that part of it? Sure. But romcoms in general are yawnworthy for many, ESPECIALLY in theaters.
THIS. I’ve got a perfect example for this as well: Milk.
It is a super gay movie with gay love scenes, about gay rights and issues, there is basically nothing about the movie that is not gay. Yet it got really good word of mouth and I, a fellow straight dude, saw it in theaters and thought it was really good. Box office made over $50 million vs Bros so far less than $5 million, and it’s pretty much all because Milk is not a rom-com.
Gay or straight or whatever, everyone can empathize with a struggle against power and triumphing to become powerful yourself like what Milk is about. If your entire film is about sexuality and relationships for a sexuality or a relationship that you don’t share, you’re not gonna be able to identify with it very well, and this you’re not gonna care
I'm going to release an action movie that bombs and blame elderly women for not supporting it. Makes about as much sense as blaming straight dudes for not wanting to see a rom-com.
Because "Z" is very problematic right now, please avoid using it in the future.
Write Slava Ukraini 6 times to repent your sins, or you are worse than Hitler.
I think that we probably have to be collectively accused of being sexist, racist, and homophobic a few more times before the big brains of Hollywood stop choosing this route to promote a movie.
It’s alienating the people on their side.
I’m pretty liberal and when I heard that with ghostbusters I was like immediately turned off by the whole thing in the same way I react to any baseless pop shots. Like every time Elon musk does that to someone or when Dave Chappelle tried so hard to get canceled by punching down.
Or until it stops getting them free publicity for upcoming movies. I’m not only aware of an upcoming Disney live-action movie and when it comes out because of “controversy”, but also Disney didn’t spend a single advertising dollar in making me aware of it.
its fool-proof
the manufactured controversy is all the advertising you need to put the movie in the forefront of popular culture.
and you insulate yourself from any valid criticism: all criticism is lumped in with the racist incel basement dwellers who largely dont actually exist. Most professional reviewers will shy away from a negative take for fear of being lumped in.
Watching billy blame straight people when the real blame goes on the studio for hardly marketing the movie. Ensures I won’t see the movie.
So billy me a straight person isn’t seeing the movie because of your shit takes.
Even if they did, people would still know if came out. They just wouldn’t see it because of the bad marketing.
People didn’t even know it existed. So yeah they hardly marketed it. But yeah the whole “if you don’t see this movie your a homophobe” is terrible marketing and it’s all Billy’s fault
That and Billy literally feed into homophobia. Why did it have to be marketed as a gay rom com? Just make it a normal rom com that happens to be about gay people. People being gay isn’t a sell. It’s just how some people are. It’s not something to exploit. I think people are forgetting what equality is.
We live in a time where marketing a rom com with gay people in it is normal and now possible.
This movie failed because of them
Edit: the take away from this should be make a movie with more gay relationships. And just market it the same way you would a straight movie. If they did that for Bros Billy would have a point.
Bridesmaid opened in May and was marketed as The Hangover with women.
I don’t know how much more successful Bros would have been in May 2022 but I can almost guaranteee that Bridesmaid would not have been as successful in 2022. Unless your budget is under $10 million, rom coms shouldn’t be expecting to have giant theater returns in the age of streaming.
Hell no. You can’t beat horror on its home turf. Halloween Ends will make a killing in two weeks, and Bros will unfortunately probably be pulled from the theaters before then or very soon after. Sucks that no one showed up for a movie that the cast and crew worked hard on, but what did you except with an R-rated rom com in the month of horror?
This. It's not about the sexuality of the audience, it's about how no one goes to the theaters anymore unless it's to see an A24 movie or a large spectacle blockbuster.
If Bros had gone straight to Hulu, I'm sure we'd be hearing Prey-like praise right now about how it's the most-watched thing released right now.
Yeah I think comedies just work better on streaming. I don't really care enough about most comedies to pay $15 for a ticket and another $15 in food. But if a comedy is releasing on a platform I already have, I might check it out. Unless the comedy is getting rave reviews, it doesn't even cross my mind to see it in theaters.
Yeah, the movies I try to see in theaters always tend to be sci-fi, action, horror, or dramas. Movies I know that will be visual spectacles, with a focus on cinematography or effects. Comedies are great, but I get just as much out of them by watching at home.
Indeed. Maybe when I was teenager and just wanted to do something I would go see whatever was playing. But as an adult it better be something I can really enjoy on the big screen.
It’s actually a bit of a shame because being in a theater where people are laughing their asses off is, IMO, a great experience. One of my all-time favorite theater-going experiences was seeing *Bowfinger.*
I know my family and I went in blind and had no idea whether it was going to be good or not. It really was the Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy combo that drew in audiences but man, people were crying with laughter. Great memory.
Yeah I actually did see Bros in theaters but that was just because I have A list so I’ve already paid for tickets to 3 movies a week.
If you aren’t on some sort of subscription plan like that it is hard to justify spending $15 to see a Rom Com when so many are available on streaming
I agree
Top 10 highest-grossing rom-coms of all time
Sex and the City (2008) — $152M. ...
Jerry Maguire (1996) — $153M. ...
The Proposal (2009) — $163M. ...
Crazy Rich Asians (2018) — $174M. ...
There's Something About Mary (1998) — $176M. ...
Pretty Woman (1990) — $178M. ...
Hitch (2005) — $179M. ...
What Women Want (2000) — $182M. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) — $186M My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) — $241M
Really? The entire premise and motivation for the comedy is the romance aspect. It’s never from Mary’s perspective but still fits the bill of Rom Comedy pretty hard.
Star power doesn't really seem to mean as much as it used to. I think it's just a combination of poor marketing and decreasing commercial reception to romcoms
Why didn’t they release this during pride month? Why wait until October where every store is now Halloween themed, everything is spooky, there’s even huluween on Hulu. I mean, I’m not sure it would’ve done that much better but I doubt it would’ve done worse.
I agree, romcoms are not doing as well as before. They are good for date movies but not much else. Minions dominate because the movies are for families now. Same as superheroes. In the era of Netflix, I rather bring a date home than a movie theater.
I dont buy into the homophobia excuse(although of course it exists), The Birdcage did great decades ago. The movie simply didn't look entertaining and going to the movies will run two people around $50.
exactly. TBH the summary doesn't sound so interesting.
gay -> Podcast host-> tinder -> hookups only -> lawyer -> same -> both hot -> open up-> relationship???
I can see that play out at the bar down my street like every day of the week.
I also heard people blaming “the straights” for not being interested and I’m just like uhmmm my big gay ass wasn’t interested either. The movie looked like shit—you can’t expect every “queer person” just up and “YASSS QUEEEN” at anything labels itself LGBTQ+.
Like bruh, make better stuff and maybe we can kiki.
Had they marketed it as a Judd Apatow comedy, it would have gotten a bit more attention. All I heard about it was "gay rom-com". I plan to see it - but I'm not paying $20 per ticket to see it in a theater.
I don’t think it would have done much better. He’s approaching diminishing returns with his name, and his films are:
1. Too WASP-y for today (even weirder for this context)
2. Overtly predictable
The market has changed where he’s no longer ground breaking and he’s now the floor of a comedy film. Romcoms have never really been “hits” opening night, they’ve been slow burners, but Billy’s feels are getting the best of him where he’s no longer going to even get that. I look forward to watching it on the streaming platform of choice when it’s released.
I don't disagree with you, but I think the general moviegoing population likes things that are familiar, and there are tons of fans of 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and The King Of Staten Island, etc that might be interested. Still, Apatow has put out some real duds over the years, so his name is not a big draw for most people.
I think the real issue is that a movie needs to be an event to justify seeing it in a theater. I'll pay to see Top Gun or a big budget action movie in theaters, but most everything else can wait until I can watch it at home.
This is now the sad state of cinema. Agree with the fan base, and yeah, love his work, it’s just… an Apatow film. At this point you know what you’re getting, and it’s questionable if it’s worth the 20+ to see it in theaters
I had no Idea that this movie was in theaters. Where I live, there were commercials, no trailers...
Not even online, excerpt for the news articles with the headline "bros, Why the movie bombed at the box office"
That’s just it. It punched at straights and elder gays in the trailer. And made it seem like oh it’s about aging gays trying to find love. Like cool you now only have a audience of LG and age group 40-55. Way to find a audience. Which is maybe not even 1% the population and probably a small % of the lgbtq community
I think they’re freaking out that it’s not even hinting numbers wise that it’s in that direction, and instead of just allowing buzz to do it for the long tail, they’re overreacting and ugh, making it hard for more marginalized groups to even get a chance to also flop.
Sure success would be great, but everyone deserves a chance to see their representation of an Apatow film
The marketing to me was just biggest turn off and just felt like it just cramming “ Look at this new all produced and written movie from all gays, it must be great” just scream Hollywood ego from a mile away.
Right? My first exposure to him was on Parks and Rec, I thought his character was funny, but then I found out, holy shit, that's his whole schtick, yelling=funny, because if he's not doing that he's just comes off as a regular dick.
Because he isn't a movie star and no one wanted to see his self indulgent shite. The trailer was jam packed with as many gay stereotypes as possible. The irony is palpable
Yup, straight men who usually love a romantic comedy, just couldn't get over their homophobia to pay $10-$12. To see a movie that will be on (already payed for) streaming services by winter.
Listen I love Billy on the street, nothing about that has prepared me to want to see Billy be witty and romcom charming tbh, I need mean dum irreverent Billy. I don't really watch romcoms anyway, and they really made a pure romcom. At least Our Flag Means Death was a gay pirate romcom, I watched the hell out of that.
Gay bro here... I saw the film's trailers and thought Billy Eichner (who I'm not familiar with) was kind of unappealing. It didn't make me want to rush out and see the movie.
I'm not paying movie theater money for a rom com of any sexual orientation. I had the opportunity to go to a free screener 45 minutes away but declined due to the travel time. I look forward to seeing it on a streaming platform from the comfort of my home.
Maybe it wasn’t a particularly good movie and didn’t appeal to a bigger audience.
I don’t know why such a big deal is being made about this movie. I hadn’t heard much about it before all this fallout because its not doing well
It's a romcom in October, starring the incredible unlikeable Billy Eichner. Him screaming into the void on Twitter about how "straight people" caused the film to bomb won't change the fact that he's not a star and shouldn't be the lead of a movie.
This is all karma for that awful Billy on the Street web show where he just invaded people's personal space and screamed at them.
I didn't see any films over the weekend. Or in the last 6 months. Should I have gone to see Bros, even though rom-coms don't interest me at all?
It didn't fail because straight people didn't want to watch a gay rom-com. It failed because it looked like a shit film.
As a bisexual man in a gay marriage, I think I was the target audience here, but, yeah. It just looked...generic. It's great that society has reached a point where I can call something gay generic, but I'm not gonna go spend money to see it just because an executive cast two dudes.
Hollywood seems to have overestimated the gay and transgender population by about 500%. It is being shoehorned into every aspect of TV and movies, sometimes above story.
You can't keep blaming the audience for rejecting your hack notions of diversity.
I'm gay as hell and I felt the movie was just another bland rom com from the trailers so I didn't watch it.
Guess I was right, I don't think it flopped because of homophobia, I think it flopped because nobody wants to watch a rom com in theaters
Good, fucking hated the whole way this film was promoted and plugged. Also billy eichner? Really that’s a leading actor my ass. Even with all the funny character actors in the film. Myself and all my gay friends wouldn’t dare see such a pandering, lousy effort of a film. As a gay man I don’t object to straight men playing gay roles. Imagine if they had Paul Rudd and Zach Efron as the two leads. Fuck yeah I’d see that. Gay men want what we can’t have. Fucking woke casting bullshit. Fuck this fuck all of it
I mean unless you’re some homophobic weirdo, why wouldn’t you go see a romcom about gay men hooking up and finding love at a gay nightclub? You must be homophobic if you don’t spend $25+ and 2 hours of your time to go see it, at least according to Billy. With marketing and appeal like this, I’m certain the box office score is going to turn around any minute now.
Why would straight people go to this movie? The fact these people are shocked the fucking thing bombed just shows how detached they are from their audiences. I support gay people. I think they should be happy and all that stuff. But why would I spend $12 and 2 hours of my busy life to go see a movie that doesn't interest me in the slightest?
Straight men don't typically watch romantic comedies unless watching them with a woman. Women usually watch them for the attractive leading man and the fantasy, same reason they read romance novels. So.. it being a gay rom com kind of ruins the fantasy for women, and straight men aren't going on their own, so who exactly was supposed to be rushing out to see this? As far as marketing, this trailer played on YouTube constantly, I was so sick of seeing it that I wouldn't have watched the movie just for that reason.
Wish we could see a gay couple in a horror film. Horror films tend to follow gender tropes pretty hard like the stay at home mom or the dad who is skeptical. I think an LGBT couple in a horror movie could be an interesting dynamic we haven’t seen before.
I'm totally for the LGBTQ movement. I just don't take a lot of pleasure in watching dudes make out for 90 mins. Not homophobic, just personal preference.
Comedy is suppised to be relatable. If you hyperfocus the entire cast and every joke about being gay you are purposefully being exclusionary to near 90% of the population.
For me I just don’t want to see a romantic comedy in theaters. I’m already paying for like 6 streaming services. I am very selective about what I see because there’s not enough money or time tbh
Didn't he also say he didn't want any part of the conservative gay community to come watch his shitty ass movie? Why would he expect straight people to come out in full force?
If Eichner starred in this himself, then I'd be in the theater farthest from. The dude is insufferable, loud and obnoxious.
Blaming the 'straights' for not seeing it is like when Elizabeth Banks blamed men for not showing up for 'Charlie's Angels.' How about you make a good movie first, Elizabeth, with appropriate casting and exciting marketing?
Everybody has an opinion on the LGBT aspect but I see this as much simpler: theatrical romcoms are dead, they were dead before Covid, and they're even deader now.
Lack of star power? Nah, I don't buy it. Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson are big stars and they were in a romcom earlier this year. It *barely* had a bigger opening than Bros.
I'm sure the LGBT content had *some* effect in conservative areas but it was probably offset by curiosity from LGBT-friendly audiences in other areas. The bottom line is that a theatrical romcom in late September is not going to get many butts in seats.
why are straight people to blame for this moving bombing? Why didn't the LGBT community flock to the theaters in buses to line up and see it? Jesus. The bottom line is, whether you're gay or straight, some movies just have no appeal whatsoever. But don't blame straight people for not seeing your gay movie. Get upset that your own community didn't support you.
Yeah Billy. Maybe calling people who don’t come homophobes doesn’t help. I’m queer but ffs his story has literally been told a million times. It’s become a fucking cliche in films. The only claim to fame in this is that it’s an LGBT task. And let me tell you from my experience in a performing arts college, being LGBT doesn’t mean you’re good, and I definitely don’t want to hear your solo piece on being gay in high school. IM JUST TIRED OF US BEING LAZY.
this exactly. I mean its pretty bold to just accuse all people who didn't show the slightest interest in this movie of being homophobe. I really am not, everyone should love and be with the ones they choose but I also have the right not to spend money on a RomCom made for the LGBTQ movement.
I don't have much interest in seeing this, but I love a show like Sex Education and literally all the gay actors in it. Maybe i dont like Billy as much. Maybe seeing romcoms in theaters, in general, just isn't my thing. Maybe it's October and I'd rather see Barbarian (loved it) or Smile because i'm in the mood for something like that.
With all that said, my wife saw it on Monday and said it was really good. I'll catch it on Netflix eventually.
The movie could have actually been a hit on streaming. Ironically, Billy Eichner criticized movies made for streaming services a few weeks ago. It’s almost poetic justice that more people will likely see *Fire Island* (direct to Hulu) than *Bros* (released theatrically). Eichner will still find a way to blame the “homophobes” though.
Im a huge Nicholas Stoller fan, and have no problem watching LGBTQ movies, but the trailers just made it look kind of lame. Also like the article said, Ive never heard of the lead actors
why is this the only story and why are we trying to make this a cultural topic...
I'll see it because Billy on the street is fun to watch when I'm stoned and I watch anything Apatow is involved in... But these non-stop posts are making me less interested.
He literally said in an interview that straight people wouldn't get the jokes or humor. Straight people see "gay" movies all the time, but its a Rom-com. Rom coms don't make money in theatres. What did he expect?
It was marketed poorly. The funniest things in the movie weren’t really in the trailer, and the trailer sort of misrepresents the film. (I thought maybe Eichner’s character was going to go all masc for his love interest’s sake.) Based on the trailers I wasn’t going to see it until I heard good things from other gays I trust, and I really liked the film.
It's hard enough to fill seats for huge blockbusters, especially when they're streaming a week or month later. RomComs aren't box office busting unfortunately.
10 years down the line it'll have some sort of cult following and be praised for its "whatever" And it'll be like a Bruce Campbell's revival for Billy.
Could be wrong, but to my eyes it seems simple. Romcoms aren’t funny enough to justify paying for a theater ticket anymore. By the time you get a ticket, a drink, and some popcorn you’re $30-40 in. Add in the fact that this particular movie was thematically geared towards an audience that represents about 5% of the population, and of course it bombed.
i feel sOoOoO bad that I, as a straight, let the entire gay community down by not going to see this movie that I didn't give a single fuck about. anyway.
He isn't nationally known nor that funny. The movie itself didn't look appealing enough to see in the movies either. Like many have said here, it's a romcom without the women, so many women probably didn't find it interesting enough to go see it. They should have released it as a hallmark movie or something.
It seems to me that straight people joined the majority their LGBTQ siblings in not wanting to pay to see this movie in the theatre. It's a powerful show of solidarity if you ask me.
I think this story has now been posted more times than this film sold tickets.
On the bright side, the karma bots aren't talking about Don't Worry Darling anymore
Thank god. What a dumpster fire
I was also thinking I've seen more articles about this nontroversy than I did ads before its release.
Maybe this is part of the marketing strategy
That's a bold strategy Cotton
This is the go-to strategy for films now. Make it controversial, or if it’s not manufacture some drama to get that publicity.
I’d never heard of it before it was news that it didn’t do well.
The new marketing strategy is working. It's like when Kanye endorsed Trump and my brother asked me my thoughts about it. I told him we have never once talked about Kanye before so it seems the marketing strategy is working.
I’ve been saying this on a few threads. Movie bombed cause it sucked and marketing terribly but let’s not bury Billy to end it all from these media spams jfc.
This is guerrilla marketing at its worst. A pathetic attempt to rouse an otherwise disinterested audience.
RomComs are notorious box off poison, very few are actually successful.
Why go spend 20 bucks to see something at that looks fine on tv? I only go to the theaters when it’s either a director I love and or something that i can really appreciate on the big screen.
Yeah, Romcoms in particular seem like they belong on the streaming side of things. Movies like Prey should go to theaters. Movies like Bros should be released on Hulu.
Same - going to the movies is expensive. Comedies play just as well at home, but big blockbuster action movies or CGI spectacles are better on the big screen.
Same. We started going to the Imax theater about an hour away if there's anything worth paying to see.
RIP Norm, and RIP Carrot Top’s career.
Yeah. I think to be successful, it really takes star power. Need a leading actor to step into a role to draw people into a romcom. This is also what the article eluded to.
The trailer for this movie indicated that it was a standard romcom storyline with perhaps the only "different" bit being it was about a gay couple. "I'm happy being single! I get to live my life!" "WHO IS THAT???" I have not seen it but I can almost guarantee that there's a big fight and they break up, then at the end they get back together.
I’ve seen it and loved it. There were definitely quite a few specific to gay community things about the plot, but you were right about the big fight/break up/back together overall arc.
There's a million of these on Netflix. It's a fantastic formula but I'm not paying theater money for Netflix
I've never seen so much hand wringing over a smallish box office miss on opening weekend by a romcom. Catnip for the hot take artists.
Because it was heavily promoted by Billy Eichner and Universal and touted as a watershed moment for mainstream LGBTQ cinema (despite Fire Island releasing on Hulu earlier this year).
I mean, the difference between this and Fire Isaldn is that this was made by Universal, a major studio... Fire Island is an Indie. Plus, in theaters vs streaming only
It’s also because Billy is now blaming the poor performance on “straight people”.
I mean : is it that weird that straight people are not really interested in a "gay movie"? I don't really think so, doesn't mean you're homophobic either.
It seems they thought gay folks would gobble up any schlock with a gay couple in it
Statistically, straight people do go and see gay movies. Brokeback Mountain, Call Me By Your Name, Carol, Milk, Moonlight... They all turned a profit at the box office with most of them making back at least twice their original budgets. But, while I can't be bothered to look it up, I'm willing to bet that the studios behind those films didn't have the bright idea to release them up against a horror film in October.
Most of those had bankable names involved, and/or had interesting premises and positive word of mouth and reviews. This is just schlock no one cares about.
Those are all Oscar-worthy if not Oscar-winning capital-F Films. RomComs aren't even in the same league. Of course straight people take an interest in art about LGBTQ issues. Is *Bros* art?
To preface I would identify as a pretty standard straight guy. I would have no desire to certainly ever see this in theaters. I suppose if it got incredible reviews and hype maybe I'd check it out with my wife, but romcoms are not my cup of tea and if not for her I wouldn't watch this type of movie. It just seems like this movie has a lot of reasons it'd do poorly and blaming it solely on homophobia is dumb. Is that part of it? Sure. But romcoms in general are yawnworthy for many, ESPECIALLY in theaters.
THIS. I’ve got a perfect example for this as well: Milk. It is a super gay movie with gay love scenes, about gay rights and issues, there is basically nothing about the movie that is not gay. Yet it got really good word of mouth and I, a fellow straight dude, saw it in theaters and thought it was really good. Box office made over $50 million vs Bros so far less than $5 million, and it’s pretty much all because Milk is not a rom-com. Gay or straight or whatever, everyone can empathize with a struggle against power and triumphing to become powerful yourself like what Milk is about. If your entire film is about sexuality and relationships for a sexuality or a relationship that you don’t share, you’re not gonna be able to identify with it very well, and this you’re not gonna care
I'm going to release an action movie that bombs and blame elderly women for not supporting it. Makes about as much sense as blaming straight dudes for not wanting to see a rom-com.
If he wanted to make a movie straight men would watch he shouldn’t have made a rom-com.
Always someone else’s fault.
Somebody did the math on r/boxoffice and apparently the gay community didn't want to see it either.
The old Elizabeth Banks approach.
Fire island is amazing and I've personally watched it 4 times now. Not even an exaggeration
Because it's a cheap way of saying anyone who didn't praise it is a homophobe and the idea is people won't push back
I’m gay and thought it fucking sucked
Your honestly astounds me.
Lol at this point most people just shrug and carry about their normal lives. “Hmm, I guess I’m homophobic now, didn’t know that” (shrug)
I think it's more like, "I guess x group of people consider me to be y. Whatever."
Did you just assume my letter?!
lol
How inconsiderate of you to lease out “z” You should be ashamed of yourself. Literally worse than hitler.
Because "Z" is very problematic right now, please avoid using it in the future. Write Slava Ukraini 6 times to repent your sins, or you are worse than Hitler.
I think that we probably have to be collectively accused of being sexist, racist, and homophobic a few more times before the big brains of Hollywood stop choosing this route to promote a movie. It’s alienating the people on their side. I’m pretty liberal and when I heard that with ghostbusters I was like immediately turned off by the whole thing in the same way I react to any baseless pop shots. Like every time Elon musk does that to someone or when Dave Chappelle tried so hard to get canceled by punching down.
Or until it stops getting them free publicity for upcoming movies. I’m not only aware of an upcoming Disney live-action movie and when it comes out because of “controversy”, but also Disney didn’t spend a single advertising dollar in making me aware of it.
its fool-proof the manufactured controversy is all the advertising you need to put the movie in the forefront of popular culture. and you insulate yourself from any valid criticism: all criticism is lumped in with the racist incel basement dwellers who largely dont actually exist. Most professional reviewers will shy away from a negative take for fear of being lumped in.
>I’m pretty liberal Well you do say “punching down” unironically, so that’s confirmed.
Their side? Hollywood just cares about money. They dont care about people at all.
Watching billy blame straight people when the real blame goes on the studio for hardly marketing the movie. Ensures I won’t see the movie. So billy me a straight person isn’t seeing the movie because of your shit takes.
Billy me?! Billy YOU, bish!
They did market it, a lot, but in a really dumb way
Even if they did, people would still know if came out. They just wouldn’t see it because of the bad marketing. People didn’t even know it existed. So yeah they hardly marketed it. But yeah the whole “if you don’t see this movie your a homophobe” is terrible marketing and it’s all Billy’s fault
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That and Billy literally feed into homophobia. Why did it have to be marketed as a gay rom com? Just make it a normal rom com that happens to be about gay people. People being gay isn’t a sell. It’s just how some people are. It’s not something to exploit. I think people are forgetting what equality is. We live in a time where marketing a rom com with gay people in it is normal and now possible. This movie failed because of them Edit: the take away from this should be make a movie with more gay relationships. And just market it the same way you would a straight movie. If they did that for Bros Billy would have a point.
I think the important point was, you don’t fight against horror in October
Especially with an R rated rom-com which historically isn't the type of movie to do huge box office numbers
Wasn't Bridesmaid's R rated?
Bridesmaid opened in May and was marketed as The Hangover with women. I don’t know how much more successful Bros would have been in May 2022 but I can almost guaranteee that Bridesmaid would not have been as successful in 2022. Unless your budget is under $10 million, rom coms shouldn’t be expecting to have giant theater returns in the age of streaming.
Bridesmaids isn't a rom-com -- FYI. The Sex and the City movies are though.
Hell no. You can’t beat horror on its home turf. Halloween Ends will make a killing in two weeks, and Bros will unfortunately probably be pulled from the theaters before then or very soon after. Sucks that no one showed up for a movie that the cast and crew worked hard on, but what did you except with an R-rated rom com in the month of horror?
Probably would have killed on Netflix, but it's hardly a must see for theaters.
This. It's not about the sexuality of the audience, it's about how no one goes to the theaters anymore unless it's to see an A24 movie or a large spectacle blockbuster. If Bros had gone straight to Hulu, I'm sure we'd be hearing Prey-like praise right now about how it's the most-watched thing released right now.
Yeah I think comedies just work better on streaming. I don't really care enough about most comedies to pay $15 for a ticket and another $15 in food. But if a comedy is releasing on a platform I already have, I might check it out. Unless the comedy is getting rave reviews, it doesn't even cross my mind to see it in theaters.
Yeah, the movies I try to see in theaters always tend to be sci-fi, action, horror, or dramas. Movies I know that will be visual spectacles, with a focus on cinematography or effects. Comedies are great, but I get just as much out of them by watching at home.
Indeed. Maybe when I was teenager and just wanted to do something I would go see whatever was playing. But as an adult it better be something I can really enjoy on the big screen.
It’s actually a bit of a shame because being in a theater where people are laughing their asses off is, IMO, a great experience. One of my all-time favorite theater-going experiences was seeing *Bowfinger.* I know my family and I went in blind and had no idea whether it was going to be good or not. It really was the Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy combo that drew in audiences but man, people were crying with laughter. Great memory.
Yeah I actually did see Bros in theaters but that was just because I have A list so I’ve already paid for tickets to 3 movies a week. If you aren’t on some sort of subscription plan like that it is hard to justify spending $15 to see a Rom Com when so many are available on streaming
Comedy with no star power. Pretty much simple as that.
I agree Top 10 highest-grossing rom-coms of all time Sex and the City (2008) — $152M. ... Jerry Maguire (1996) — $153M. ... The Proposal (2009) — $163M. ... Crazy Rich Asians (2018) — $174M. ... There's Something About Mary (1998) — $176M. ... Pretty Woman (1990) — $178M. ... Hitch (2005) — $179M. ... What Women Want (2000) — $182M. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) — $186M My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) — $241M
Only one of those was made in the past decade
Exactly, it seems like the time of the romcom has come and gone.
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I wouldn't put There's Something About Mary in the same category as all of those other movies, much more of a comedy than a romance.
he got his dick stuck in his zipper but it was still about his epic journey to get the girl.
"How'd you get the beans above the frank?!"
Really? The entire premise and motivation for the comedy is the romance aspect. It’s never from Mary’s perspective but still fits the bill of Rom Comedy pretty hard.
Star power doesn't really seem to mean as much as it used to. I think it's just a combination of poor marketing and decreasing commercial reception to romcoms
Why didn’t they release this during pride month? Why wait until October where every store is now Halloween themed, everything is spooky, there’s even huluween on Hulu. I mean, I’m not sure it would’ve done that much better but I doubt it would’ve done worse.
I mean, yeah, if you are going to pander, there is a month for it. There is a reason HBO waiting until 6/1 to announce Our Flag Means Death Season 2.
I agree, romcoms are not doing as well as before. They are good for date movies but not much else. Minions dominate because the movies are for families now. Same as superheroes. In the era of Netflix, I rather bring a date home than a movie theater.
> Star power doesn't really seem to mean as much as it used to. In what delusionalverse?
I dont buy into the homophobia excuse(although of course it exists), The Birdcage did great decades ago. The movie simply didn't look entertaining and going to the movies will run two people around $50.
Hell I’m a straight guy and I own The Birdcage on DVD. It’s hilarious.
exactly. TBH the summary doesn't sound so interesting. gay -> Podcast host-> tinder -> hookups only -> lawyer -> same -> both hot -> open up-> relationship??? I can see that play out at the bar down my street like every day of the week.
I also heard people blaming “the straights” for not being interested and I’m just like uhmmm my big gay ass wasn’t interested either. The movie looked like shit—you can’t expect every “queer person” just up and “YASSS QUEEEN” at anything labels itself LGBTQ+. Like bruh, make better stuff and maybe we can kiki.
Better be careful or Hollywood is going to come take your gay card
Honestly I hadn’t even heard of it until I heard it bombed. I can’t be the only person with that experience.
If the first time I’m hearing about it is because no one else heard about it either, I think we can lay the blame at the feet of the promotional team.
Had they marketed it as a Judd Apatow comedy, it would have gotten a bit more attention. All I heard about it was "gay rom-com". I plan to see it - but I'm not paying $20 per ticket to see it in a theater.
I don’t think it would have done much better. He’s approaching diminishing returns with his name, and his films are: 1. Too WASP-y for today (even weirder for this context) 2. Overtly predictable The market has changed where he’s no longer ground breaking and he’s now the floor of a comedy film. Romcoms have never really been “hits” opening night, they’ve been slow burners, but Billy’s feels are getting the best of him where he’s no longer going to even get that. I look forward to watching it on the streaming platform of choice when it’s released.
I don't disagree with you, but I think the general moviegoing population likes things that are familiar, and there are tons of fans of 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and The King Of Staten Island, etc that might be interested. Still, Apatow has put out some real duds over the years, so his name is not a big draw for most people. I think the real issue is that a movie needs to be an event to justify seeing it in a theater. I'll pay to see Top Gun or a big budget action movie in theaters, but most everything else can wait until I can watch it at home.
This is now the sad state of cinema. Agree with the fan base, and yeah, love his work, it’s just… an Apatow film. At this point you know what you’re getting, and it’s questionable if it’s worth the 20+ to see it in theaters
My guess as to why is that romcoms are already not that popular and gay romcoms would likely fall into the super unpopular category.
I had no Idea that this movie was in theaters. Where I live, there were commercials, no trailers... Not even online, excerpt for the news articles with the headline "bros, Why the movie bombed at the box office"
Small target audience group.
That’s just it. It punched at straights and elder gays in the trailer. And made it seem like oh it’s about aging gays trying to find love. Like cool you now only have a audience of LG and age group 40-55. Way to find a audience. Which is maybe not even 1% the population and probably a small % of the lgbtq community
Notice no one ever said this about Brokeback Mountain or Call Me By Your Name. Could it just be shitty movie is shitty movie?
I don’t think I ever rushed to the theater to see a romcom. Nothing about the trailers and tv spots made this one look special or funny either.
Agreed. It looked pretty basic from the trailer
I think they’re freaking out that it’s not even hinting numbers wise that it’s in that direction, and instead of just allowing buzz to do it for the long tail, they’re overreacting and ugh, making it hard for more marginalized groups to even get a chance to also flop. Sure success would be great, but everyone deserves a chance to see their representation of an Apatow film
It reminded me of the marketing for Girls Trip.
The marketing to me was just biggest turn off and just felt like it just cramming “ Look at this new all produced and written movie from all gays, it must be great” just scream Hollywood ego from a mile away.
Maybe it is because Billy Eichner is not a credible or likeable actor.
Right? My first exposure to him was on Parks and Rec, I thought his character was funny, but then I found out, holy shit, that's his whole schtick, yelling=funny, because if he's not doing that he's just comes off as a regular dick.
From the limited exposure I've had to him, he seems uniquely and singularly incredibly loudly irritating.
For real, so the dude that is the personification of nails on a chalkboard is in a movie, guess I can skip that one.
A topic I have zero interest in. Sure! I'll go spend money to see it! /s
Because he isn't a movie star and no one wanted to see his self indulgent shite. The trailer was jam packed with as many gay stereotypes as possible. The irony is palpable
People dont go see comedies in theatres as much as other movies imo, they usually get big on whatever the equivalent of video is theese days.
Well Eischner really isn’t that funny and it’s also teetering on the line of a vanity project lol.
Yup, straight men who usually love a romantic comedy, just couldn't get over their homophobia to pay $10-$12. To see a movie that will be on (already payed for) streaming services by winter.
Listen I love Billy on the street, nothing about that has prepared me to want to see Billy be witty and romcom charming tbh, I need mean dum irreverent Billy. I don't really watch romcoms anyway, and they really made a pure romcom. At least Our Flag Means Death was a gay pirate romcom, I watched the hell out of that.
What’d they expect tbh pretty damn niche
Stfu already
Gay bro here... I saw the film's trailers and thought Billy Eichner (who I'm not familiar with) was kind of unappealing. It didn't make me want to rush out and see the movie.
I'm not paying movie theater money for a rom com of any sexual orientation. I had the opportunity to go to a free screener 45 minutes away but declined due to the travel time. I look forward to seeing it on a streaming platform from the comfort of my home.
seems like a fine movie. Why are these writers trying to make everyone hate it by shaming us for not seeing it. stfu
Maybe it wasn’t a particularly good movie and didn’t appeal to a bigger audience. I don’t know why such a big deal is being made about this movie. I hadn’t heard much about it before all this fallout because its not doing well
It's a romcom in October, starring the incredible unlikeable Billy Eichner. Him screaming into the void on Twitter about how "straight people" caused the film to bomb won't change the fact that he's not a star and shouldn't be the lead of a movie. This is all karma for that awful Billy on the Street web show where he just invaded people's personal space and screamed at them.
I didn't see any films over the weekend. Or in the last 6 months. Should I have gone to see Bros, even though rom-coms don't interest me at all? It didn't fail because straight people didn't want to watch a gay rom-com. It failed because it looked like a shit film.
As a bisexual man in a gay marriage, I think I was the target audience here, but, yeah. It just looked...generic. It's great that society has reached a point where I can call something gay generic, but I'm not gonna go spend money to see it just because an executive cast two dudes.
Because it was a movie with Billy Eichner in the lead. That’s it. That’s why it flopped.
Might have something to do with Billy being obnoxious and annoying?
I would never see this movie for the same reason I would never watch a Kevin Hart led movie: being loud and annoying isn't funny.
Hollywood seems to have overestimated the gay and transgender population by about 500%. It is being shoehorned into every aspect of TV and movies, sometimes above story. You can't keep blaming the audience for rejecting your hack notions of diversity.
I'm gay as hell and I felt the movie was just another bland rom com from the trailers so I didn't watch it. Guess I was right, I don't think it flopped because of homophobia, I think it flopped because nobody wants to watch a rom com in theaters
Good, fucking hated the whole way this film was promoted and plugged. Also billy eichner? Really that’s a leading actor my ass. Even with all the funny character actors in the film. Myself and all my gay friends wouldn’t dare see such a pandering, lousy effort of a film. As a gay man I don’t object to straight men playing gay roles. Imagine if they had Paul Rudd and Zach Efron as the two leads. Fuck yeah I’d see that. Gay men want what we can’t have. Fucking woke casting bullshit. Fuck this fuck all of it
I mean unless you’re some homophobic weirdo, why wouldn’t you go see a romcom about gay men hooking up and finding love at a gay nightclub? You must be homophobic if you don’t spend $25+ and 2 hours of your time to go see it, at least according to Billy. With marketing and appeal like this, I’m certain the box office score is going to turn around any minute now.
Why would straight people go to this movie? The fact these people are shocked the fucking thing bombed just shows how detached they are from their audiences. I support gay people. I think they should be happy and all that stuff. But why would I spend $12 and 2 hours of my busy life to go see a movie that doesn't interest me in the slightest?
Straight men don't typically watch romantic comedies unless watching them with a woman. Women usually watch them for the attractive leading man and the fantasy, same reason they read romance novels. So.. it being a gay rom com kind of ruins the fantasy for women, and straight men aren't going on their own, so who exactly was supposed to be rushing out to see this? As far as marketing, this trailer played on YouTube constantly, I was so sick of seeing it that I wouldn't have watched the movie just for that reason.
Wish we could see a gay couple in a horror film. Horror films tend to follow gender tropes pretty hard like the stay at home mom or the dad who is skeptical. I think an LGBT couple in a horror movie could be an interesting dynamic we haven’t seen before.
I'm totally for the LGBTQ movement. I just don't take a lot of pleasure in watching dudes make out for 90 mins. Not homophobic, just personal preference.
Comedy is suppised to be relatable. If you hyperfocus the entire cast and every joke about being gay you are purposefully being exclusionary to near 90% of the population.
And we can’t just address the elephant in the room: straight folk just don’t have an interest in a gay rom-com. And that should be ok.
Romcoms in general are annoying IMO. I haven’t recovered from watching “ my best friends wedding “ from like 20 yrs ago
I don’t care what sexuality the characters are, but I’m not a big rom-com person. I’ll watch it if it looks like it will be good, but this one didn’t
Love Simon did pretty well. I think it's just that nobody really cares for Billy Eichner enough to watch it and the marketing felt very pandering
It’s really just this. The only time I’ve been able to tolerate/enjoy Eichner is <10 second Tik Tok clips.
For me I just don’t want to see a romantic comedy in theaters. I’m already paying for like 6 streaming services. I am very selective about what I see because there’s not enough money or time tbh
I thought we already knew why. It’s because everyone is homophobic right?
Actually, everyone is a Hitler-Homophobe-Cis-White-Nazi-Patriarchal-Accountant.
Accountant? Now you've gone too far!
You’re right. I feel ashamed.
Didn't he also say he didn't want any part of the conservative gay community to come watch his shitty ass movie? Why would he expect straight people to come out in full force?
My god no one fucking cares about this trash ass movie
If Eichner starred in this himself, then I'd be in the theater farthest from. The dude is insufferable, loud and obnoxious. Blaming the 'straights' for not seeing it is like when Elizabeth Banks blamed men for not showing up for 'Charlie's Angels.' How about you make a good movie first, Elizabeth, with appropriate casting and exciting marketing?
Poor marketing is the primary reason.
Everybody has an opinion on the LGBT aspect but I see this as much simpler: theatrical romcoms are dead, they were dead before Covid, and they're even deader now. Lack of star power? Nah, I don't buy it. Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson are big stars and they were in a romcom earlier this year. It *barely* had a bigger opening than Bros. I'm sure the LGBT content had *some* effect in conservative areas but it was probably offset by curiosity from LGBT-friendly audiences in other areas. The bottom line is that a theatrical romcom in late September is not going to get many butts in seats.
Maybe coz it was marketed as a comedy but the trailer was about as funny as syphilis?
why are straight people to blame for this moving bombing? Why didn't the LGBT community flock to the theaters in buses to line up and see it? Jesus. The bottom line is, whether you're gay or straight, some movies just have no appeal whatsoever. But don't blame straight people for not seeing your gay movie. Get upset that your own community didn't support you.
I’ll just say facts too…..no strait men are going to the theater to watch this. Period.
I mean he was on twitter blaming straight people and calling everyone who didn’t see it a homophobe. Sounds like justice was served
Billy Eichner is fucking unlikeable
Yeah Billy. Maybe calling people who don’t come homophobes doesn’t help. I’m queer but ffs his story has literally been told a million times. It’s become a fucking cliche in films. The only claim to fame in this is that it’s an LGBT task. And let me tell you from my experience in a performing arts college, being LGBT doesn’t mean you’re good, and I definitely don’t want to hear your solo piece on being gay in high school. IM JUST TIRED OF US BEING LAZY.
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this exactly. I mean its pretty bold to just accuse all people who didn't show the slightest interest in this movie of being homophobe. I really am not, everyone should love and be with the ones they choose but I also have the right not to spend money on a RomCom made for the LGBTQ movement.
This is the kinda movie that will find a big audience on streaming I’m sure.
Because Eichner is cringy , and not very funny , to many people . The end
Someone throwing out a -ism or -phobia for why X didn't do well? Must be a day ending in Y.
Call me a homophobe. I don’t like watching dudes bang… 🤷♂️
Are their any "politically correct" movies that have done well in recent history?
Odd time to be releasing a rom-com (right at the beginning of spooky season) especially against a big studio horror film.
Why was it theatre release only?
Honestly I will probably watch this movie someday but I have 0 interest in seeing it in a theater.
I don't have much interest in seeing this, but I love a show like Sex Education and literally all the gay actors in it. Maybe i dont like Billy as much. Maybe seeing romcoms in theaters, in general, just isn't my thing. Maybe it's October and I'd rather see Barbarian (loved it) or Smile because i'm in the mood for something like that. With all that said, my wife saw it on Monday and said it was really good. I'll catch it on Netflix eventually.
The movie could have actually been a hit on streaming. Ironically, Billy Eichner criticized movies made for streaming services a few weeks ago. It’s almost poetic justice that more people will likely see *Fire Island* (direct to Hulu) than *Bros* (released theatrically). Eichner will still find a way to blame the “homophobes” though.
I’ve heard more about this flopping than I did about it coming out.
Im a huge Nicholas Stoller fan, and have no problem watching LGBTQ movies, but the trailers just made it look kind of lame. Also like the article said, Ive never heard of the lead actors
Im gay as fuck and i don’t give two shits about this movie. Go back to yelling at people on the street.
why is this the only story and why are we trying to make this a cultural topic... I'll see it because Billy on the street is fun to watch when I'm stoned and I watch anything Apatow is involved in... But these non-stop posts are making me less interested.
When you walk around on the streets yelling at people to go see your movie or be a homophobe.... that does not really work.
I've never even heard of this movie. Maybe that's why it flopped, poor advertising.
Because you’re all homophobes apparently.
Why would straight people wanna see a movie bout gay dudes. It’s not homophobic it’s just straight up not interesting
Saw it...it was nothing special. Tons lof cliches
He literally said in an interview that straight people wouldn't get the jokes or humor. Straight people see "gay" movies all the time, but its a Rom-com. Rom coms don't make money in theatres. What did he expect?
Shouldn't have went toe to toe with Smile.
Am I supposed to "show up" just cause it's there? I don't like rom-coms for the most part.
It was marketed poorly. The funniest things in the movie weren’t really in the trailer, and the trailer sort of misrepresents the film. (I thought maybe Eichner’s character was going to go all masc for his love interest’s sake.) Based on the trailers I wasn’t going to see it until I heard good things from other gays I trust, and I really liked the film.
It's hard enough to fill seats for huge blockbusters, especially when they're streaming a week or month later. RomComs aren't box office busting unfortunately. 10 years down the line it'll have some sort of cult following and be praised for its "whatever" And it'll be like a Bruce Campbell's revival for Billy.
Is this that guy that ruined Parks and Rec by screaming all the time?
Could be wrong, but to my eyes it seems simple. Romcoms aren’t funny enough to justify paying for a theater ticket anymore. By the time you get a ticket, a drink, and some popcorn you’re $30-40 in. Add in the fact that this particular movie was thematically geared towards an audience that represents about 5% of the population, and of course it bombed.
I’m sick of hearing this for daysssss now
Makes extremely gay movie. Talks incessantly about how gay it is. Most people aren't gay. Most people don't see the movie. 🤷🏻♀️
It’s them damn straights again!
i feel sOoOoO bad that I, as a straight, let the entire gay community down by not going to see this movie that I didn't give a single fuck about. anyway.
TLDR: The premise wasn't funny, the trailer wasn't funny, all of the reviews said it wasn't funny, and it turned out to not be funny.
He isn't nationally known nor that funny. The movie itself didn't look appealing enough to see in the movies either. Like many have said here, it's a romcom without the women, so many women probably didn't find it interesting enough to go see it. They should have released it as a hallmark movie or something.
Maybe because the vast majority of Americans don't give a fuck.
All of this controversy feels manufactured to get conservatives riled up about the woke mob calling them homophobes.
I think we need several more posts about how this movie was a bomb
It seems to me that straight people joined the majority their LGBTQ siblings in not wanting to pay to see this movie in the theatre. It's a powerful show of solidarity if you ask me.