Yes, streaming killed the romantic comedy star, however, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are hoping to change that with the pre-Christmas theatrical release of their Sony movie, Anyone But You.
While streaming has hogged up a large number of star-driven comedies and romantic comedies, which have been sparse at theaters, it’s not to say that they don’t work when done right on the big screen.
Post pandemic the Universal Hawaii-set George Clooney-Julia Roberts reteam Ticket to Paradise was a bright spot for older audiences last fall with a $16.5M opening, $68.2M domestic result, $168.7M WW final take. Pre-pandemic, let’s not forget about Warner Bros.’ Crazy Rich Asians which opened to $26.5M, and finaled at $174.8M domestic, $239.3M WW.
How do you make a romantic comedy click on the big screen? It’s all about positioning Powell told us at the NYC premiere of the film last night.
“This movie is about location, it’s about scope, it’s trying to make the set pieces big, the laughs big,” says the Top Gun: Maverick actor about making Anyone But You “worth it” for ticket-buying audiences.
“We’re setting out to make a rom com for theaters, (and) you have to consider how to get people to theaters,” adds Powell, “It’s really tough.”
The Will Gluck directed and co-penned movie follows Bea (Sweeney) and Ben’s (Powell), who after an amazing date, find that their fiery attraction turns ice cold – until they find themselves unexpectedly reunited at a destination wedding in Australia. In the heat of the moment, they pretend to be a couple.
Sweeney talking about how she relates to Bea, told us on the red carpet, that the character is “really trying to figure out who the hell they are, and they don’t know what they want,” a plight many twentysomethings can sympathize with.
Emphasizing the importance of the genre on the big screen, the 2x Primetime Emmy nominee and Euphoria and White Lotus star exclaimed, “I think people need rom coms back in their life: It’s a fun experience to go with your date, or your friends, your family and go in there, smile and laugh and cry, and hopefully you can go back again, again, and again.”
Beamed Sweeney: “We made the rom-com big again.”
Anyone But You opens on Dec. 22.
