Hollywood Went All-Out Promoting Gay Film 'Bros' But Gets an Ugly Surprise Opening Weekend
The gay romantic comedy “Bros” debuted in movie theaters last weekend with most movie-goers preferring to watch something else.
In its first two nights, beginning Sept. 29, the movie took in $1.84 million, according to Showbiz411.
With an estimated $2.5 million from Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 and 2, the movie would make less than $5 million for its opening weekend.
The Wrap said that “Smile” had the top debut with $22 million.
The Wrap also noted that many of those seeing the movie came from the New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco markets.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the movie was “underperforming in much of the middle of the country and the south, outside of bigger cities including Chicago.”
The film had a roughly $25 million budget but was aggressively promoted, Roger Friedman wrote on Showbiz411, calling the movie a “box office disaster.”
“This just means that the public at large had no interest in seeing not only a gay rom-com, but one with graphic sex scenes,” he wrote.
The movie’s flop was a symptom of “Hollywood being insulated from reality,” he noted.
Writing for Forbes, Scott Mendelson wrote that the vast publicity generated for the film neglected one important thing.
“Alas, the trailers and much of the media coverage emphasized its importance, groundbreaking existence, and social value over whether the film is funny,” he wrote.
that bros movie looks really bad and super cringy 😬😂
— kirkland signature boyfriend (@sleebytangerine) October 1, 2022
“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,” he wrote.
“The media coverage is symptomatic of a widespread pet peeve: every major celebrity profile emphasizes demographic triumph and aspirational empowerment,” he wrote.
As Matt Schimkowitz wrote on AV Club, “Maybe reminding audiences that this movie is funny in addition to historic would’ve been a worthwhile marketing exercise.”
But Universal did not accept that the film was a mistake.
“We are incredibly proud of ‘Bros,’” said Jim Orr, president of domestic distribution at Universal, said, according to Variety. “Everyone who saw it, absolutely loved it. And given that response, I think the film will continue to find an audience and have some legs.”
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