Bros – the new queer romantic comedy starring Billy Eichner – has stirred up a lot of conversation over the past week. Last weekend, Eichner’s movie underperformed at the box officeThe actor shared some thoughts on social networking during the film’s debut. Eichner expressed dismay at the $4.8million haul and then claimed that homophobia was a factor and that not all people saw the movie. Since then, a number of people have shared varying opinions on the star’s assertion. Now, director Nicholas Stoller is weighing in on his leading man’s polarizing tweets.
Billy Eichner, who took to Twitter to express his opinions, said that “straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros.” This is one of the major points that’s been debated amongst box office analysts, critics and the general public alike during the past several days. Nicholas Stoller didn’t shy away from addressing the matter during a lengthy interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Per Stoller, Eichner “said the truth,” as the the viewership data they received matched the actor’s assessment:
[As for his recent tweet]He was honest. We received the data back. The movie was only seen by gay men. It’s not like he said something that was a lie or incorrect. I think people have been trained by the industry not to see comedy in the theaters. However, I think people also saw it and thought. ‘That story’This is not my story. Why would I go see that?’ And they will slowly discover it because that’s what’s happened with most of the movies I’ve directed, with the exception of Neighbors, is people discover it as it gets out in the world. It’s still a scary thing to see in theaters, but it will be accessible online for many people.
There’s been a considerable amount of discussion regarding the theatrical viability of comedies in recent years. Many of these comedies have had very small returns in comparison to the large numbers they made decades ago. And per his comments, Nicholas Stoller believes this trend – and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – contributed to the movie’s low returns. Later in the interview, Stoller doubled down on his sentiments while also making an assumption regarding the film’s long-term viewership:
What Billy said was not incorrect based on the data we got — it was a Neighbors-style hit among gay men. (Laughs.) Based on our testing, we believed it would have a wider reach. It was most popular among women. It didn’t test the highest among gay men. It was high in all other groups, but it did not test the highest. I don’t know. (Laughs.) It’s very confusing and a bummer. And putting aside this movie, it’s a bummer just for telling stories. It will be available on streaming and PVOD. But it’s so fun to watch this kind of movie in a movie theater.
There are There are many factors that were discussed in relation to the movie’s poor showing in its The opening weekend was dominated by Smile. Some pundits have analysed the star power and diversity of the cast which includes all LGBTQ+ actors. The effectiveness Universal Pictures’ marketing campaignThe emphasis placed on the historical nature of the film by, was also questioned.
But before its theatrical release BrosPositive early reactionsFollowing its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, The queer rom-com later got positive reviewsFrom critics. CinemaBlend’s own Corey Chichizola described the comedy as a riotWith a new perspective. With a fresh perspective. Paul Rudd will encourage straight peopleIt is possible to view it.
Though they’re clearly not pleased with the reception at the box office, Nicholas Stoller, Billy Eichner and co. are still proud of their film. Stoller made a good point that many movies find renewed interest via streaming or PVOD. We’ll have to wait and see if that ends up being the case here.
You can see Bros in theaters now, and be sure to check out CinemaBlend’s schedule of Coming moviesKeep up-to-date with other highly publicized productions this year.