Billy Eichner, co-writer and star of the new romantic comedy Bros, has commented on the film’s less-than-impressive opening at the box office this weekend. In a series of tweets on Sunday, Eichner implied that homophobia might be the reason behind the film’s muted commercial performance. Bros had been publicized as the “first gay romantic comedy from a major studio featuring an entirely LGBTQ principal cast,” and grossed just $4.8 million in its first three days at the domestic box office. It was projected to make between $8 million and $10 million in its opening weekend.
Budgeted at a reported $22 million, Bros debuted to stellar reviews, and a glowing A CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Collider’s own Ross Bonaime called it "one of the sexiest and funniest films of 2022" in his review. He wrote, “Not only is Bros the first romantic comedy to feature a primarily LGBTQ+ cast put out by a major studio, it also immediately joins the ranks of the great rom-coms.”
In his Twitter thread, Eichner wrote that he snuck into a sold-out screening of the film over the weekend, and was overjoyed to witness the crowd’s enthusiasm. “The audience howled with laughter start to finish, burst into applause at the end, and some were wiping away tears as they walked out. It was truly magical,” he wrote, emphasizing that he remains “very proud of the movie.”
He also revealed that Universal had to step in after a theater chain threatened to pull the film’s trailer “because of the gay content.” Eichner wrote that the disappointing reality of the matter is that “straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros.” He concluded his thread by saying:
“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!!!”
Bros is directed and co-written by Nicholas Stoller, who is perhaps best known for the era-defining rom-com Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and the far raunchier Neighbors movies. The film is produced by Judd Apatow, who worked with Stoller on Forgetting Sarah Marshall, its spinoff Get Him to the Greek and The Five-Year Engagement. Bros’ underperformance at the box office could also be an indication that, over the course of the pandemic era, audiences have decided that rom-coms aren’t worth the trip to the theater, and can instead be enjoyed on streaming at home.
The film’s groundbreaking LGBTQ+ cast includes Luke Macfarlane, Monica Raymund, Dot-Marie Jones, Jim Rash, Ts Madison, Guillermo Díaz, Guy Branum, Amanda Bearse, Bowen Yang, Miss Lawrence, Harvey Fierstein, Symone, Eve Lindley, D’Lo Srijaerajah, Benito Skinner, Peter Kim, Becca Blackwell, and Brock Ciarlelli. Bros is playing in theaters. You can watch our interview with Eichner and Macfarlane here, and check out Eichner’s tweets down below.
You can also read the film’s synopsis here:
From the ferocious comic mind of Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street, 2019's The Lion King, Difficult People, Impeachment: American Crime Story) and the hitmaking brilliance of filmmakers Nicholas Stoller (the Neighbors films, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Judd Apatow (The King of Staten Island, Trainwreck, The Big Sick), comes Bros, a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about finding sex, love and romance amidst the madness.