Counter-programming works; Universal’s Ticket to Paradise has proven that there is an audience for old-fashioned, star-driven studio romantic comedies — the exact kind of film that was believed to have been lost to streaming, or lost altogether — even in a theatrical landscape dominated by superhero movies and sequels. The film passed $163 million at the global box office this weekend, with $65 million domestically and nearly $97 million from overseas territories.

Starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney as a divorced couple forced to reunite for their daughter’s sudden wedding in Bali, the film was released in theaters in October, alongside the DC superhero movie Black Adam. Ticket to Paradise began its international rollout nearly a month prior to its stateside debut and had already made over $70 million from overseas territories before it even landed on domestic shores.

Which is to say that the movie has been successful globally. Produced on a reported budget of $60 million, Ticket to Paradise is one of the few adult-skewing studio films to pull crowds in the post-pandemic era after films like Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story to Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel notoriously bombed. The sole outlier was Scott’s other 2021 film, House of Gucci, which made over $150 million worldwide against a reported $75 million budget.

Kaitlyn Dever and Maxime Bouttier Ticket to Paradise

Image via Universal Pictures

RELATED: 'Ticket to Paradise' Cast and Character Guide: Who's Who in the Romantic Comedy

The success of director Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis and Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick earlier this year indicated that older audiences were finally ready to head out to theaters. But probably the closest comparable title remains Paramount’s The Lost City, which made $105 million domestically and around $190 million worldwide. The action romantic-comedy featured Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in the lead roles, alongside Brad Pitt in a highly-publicized extended cameo, and Daniel Radcliffe in a flashy villainous appearance.

Reactions to Ticket to Paradise have been mixed, however. Collider’s own Emma Kiely wrote in her C- review, “Ticket to Paradise, if anything, is an example of the importance of star power and how sometimes a lousy script can be swept aside for two old friends taking center stage once again.”

The film is produced by Roberts, Lisa Roberts Gillan, and Marisa Yeres Gill with Red Om Films, Clooney and Oscar winner Grant Heslov for Smokehouse Pictures, and Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Sarah Harvey, and Deborah Balderstone. Directed by Ol Parker, who is best known for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Ticket to Paradise also stars Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, Maxime Bouttier, and Lucas Bravo. You can watch our interview with Roberts and Clooney here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.