‘Straight people just didn’t show up’: Bros creator Billy Eichner blasts ‘homophobic weirdos’ after his gay romcom disappoints with just $4.8m at box office despite rave reviews and $22m budget
- Bros, which had a $22 million production budget, came in 4th spot taking in just $4.8 million at the box office on opening weekend
- Actor-writer Eichner, 44, took to Twitter to share his disappointment over the film’s performance
- He said that ‘straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros’
- He urged ‘everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight’
- Film is the first LGBTQ romantic comedy given a large release by a major studio
Bros writer and actor Billy Eichner took to Twitter on Sunday to reflect on the disappointing performance of his gay romcom at the box office following its opening weekend.
The 44-year-old actor-comedian issued a series of tweets about the film, which is the first LGBTQ romantic comedy given a large release by a major studio.
Despite a $22million production budget and rave reviews, the film took in just $4.8million and landed fourth place at the US box office.
‘Last night I snuck in and sat in the back of a sold out theater playing BROS in LA,’ he wrote on Sunday. ‘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. Really. I am VERY proud of this movie.’
The latest: Billy Eichner, 44, opened up Sunday about the happiness he has for how his film Bros turned out, and disappointment about its performance in its initial foray at the box office
‘Rolling Stone already has BROS on the list of the best comedies of the 21st century.
Eichner said that ‘what’s also true is that at one point a theater chain called Universal and said they were pulling the trailer because of the gay content. (Uni convinced them not to). America, f*** yeah, etc etc. That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately.’
He said that ‘even with glowing reviews, great Rotten Tomatoes scores, an A CinemaScore etc, straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros. And that’s disappointing but it is what it is.’
Eichner said that ‘everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight’ as ‘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.’
Eichner said he was happy with the finished version of the motion picture
He said that the film did not receive enough support from ‘straight people, especially in certain parts of the country’
He encouraged movie watchers to give the film a chance while it’s in theaters
Eichner starred and wrote the film, which is the first LGBTQ romantic comedy given a large release by a major studio
The romantic comedy features Eichner and Luke Macfarlane
Miss Lawrence, TS Madison and Dot-Marie Jones also appear in the comedy
He wrapped up in saying, ‘I love this movie so much. GO BROS!!!’
Bros, which also features Luke Macfarlane, Bowen Yang and Monica Raymund, is also the first large scale film with an all-openly LGBTQ cast.
It finished behind the horror film Smile ($22 million), Don’t Worry Darling ($7.3 million) and The Woman King ($7 million). With its strong reviews and word-of-mouth, the film could rebound commercially after a difficult start.
Since premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, the film has gotten stellar reviews from critics and also been the target of ‘review bombs’ on IMDB. The site last week removed removed hundreds of one-star reviews for Bros that were logged before the film was released.
Universal president of domestic distribution Jim Orr said that ‘everyone who sees it absolutely loves it’ and that ‘Eichner, (director) Nick Stoller and Judd Apatow have created a movie that’s heartwarming and hysterically funny, according to the AP.
The opposites-attract comedy stars Billy as a bookish workaholic who runs a museum and finds himself falling for a jock type played by Macfarlane.
He co-wrote the film with its director Nicholas Stoller, who has helmed such comedies as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Five-Year Engagement and Neighbors.
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