LGBTQ+ romances are commonplace on screens large and small.
The indie film world teems with gay and lesbian love stories, as does the streaming landscape.
“Bros” is still a different kind of movie for Hollywood. And, based on the initial reception, mainstream audiences aren’t eager to see a rom-com aimed directly at the LGBTQ+ community.
“Bros,” a smart, sophisticated love story starring Billy Eichner, bombed at the box office. The film will earn roughly $4.75 million on more than 3,000 screens for its opening weekend, according to the far-Left Deadline.com.
That puts the film in fourth place behind “Smile,” “Don’t Worry Darling” and “The Women King” – the latter two in their second and third weeks of release, respectively. “Bros” under-performed in the black community (just 6 percent of the total audience) and in the heartland, according to Deadline.
“Bros” boasted plenty of advantages over most rom-coms.
The film’s director, Nicholas Stoller, is well-versed in comedic work (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Neighbors”). Co-producer Judd Apatow previously delivered hits like “Knocked Up,” “The Big Sick” and “Trainwreck.”
Eichner, who stars in the film and co-wrote the script, lassoed some of Hollywood’s biggest names to help promote the film, including Jack Black and Paul Rudd.
Billy Eichner has returned to the streets, this time with actor Jack Black, to promote his upcoming romantic comedy “Bros,” out in theaters Sept. 30. https://t.co/3CxxLC9nEa
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) September 26, 2022
Plus, “Bros” is smart, sophisticated and brimming with rom-com essentials – colorful supporting players, a strong resolution and credible second act conflicts.
The media gave the film plenty of attention, routinely mentioning its historic nature.
It still delivered horrible numbers for a mainstream release.
Why?
The film’s content may be partly to blame. Most rom-coms don’t deliver hardcore sex scenes, something “Bros” does repeatedly. Eichner’s social media presence is combative, to say the least. His hard-Left politics could have chased some viewers away.
WARNING: ADULT LANGUAGE
FYI. pic.twitter.com/KLu0lka9Sl
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) February 20, 2019
The film’s subplots may also hurt repeat business. The film takes shots at Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, and gives a brief shout out to progressive darling Stacey Abrams.
It’s also possible audiences are wary of the culture wars and didn’t want their weekend escapism to remind them of our tribal times.
The film features scenes sure to alarm those who decry “grooming” tactics at the grade school level.
Hollywood, for all its progressive virtue signaling, can be unabashedly conservative when it comes to risk mitigation. The failure of “Bros” to draw a crowd won’t go unnoticed in Tinsel Town.
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