The gay rom-com “Bros” would have never crossed our radar if star Billy Eichner didn’t blame the film’s opening weekend box office gross of $4.8 million on, well, everybody: “Straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up,” he tweeted, adding that “Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight!” His tweets got 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain” trending, the movie “South Park” would describe as “gay cowboys eating pudding” that won three Oscars and drew in more than $83 million domestically and $178 million worldwide — not bad for a film made for $14 million. Audiences must not have been so homophobic in 2005.
Variety is reporting that “white homophobia” obviously had something to do with “Bros” bombing, but it doesn’t completely explain it.
While homophobia about two men falling in love likely figured into "Bros" box office flop, the $4.8 million opening suggests that many LGBTQ viewers didn’t show up to see the comedy in theaters either. So why did “Bros” disappoint?https://t.co/7kxC8TiOfy
— Variety (@Variety) October 3, 2022
“Straight people aren’t entirely to blame.” Either Zack Sharf or William Earl, the two writers behind the story, noted that he “saw a group of men being openly homophobic by mocking the ‘Bros’ poster for featuring a guy putting his hand on another guy’s butt.” The star power just wasn’t there:
As mentioned above, the official poster for “Bros” featured the backsides of two men. Why? Because leading stars Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane just aren’t box office draws at this point in their careers. Coming out of the pandemic, star power has become far more integral to successfully opening an original title that’s not a superhero movie or a horror movie, the two most enduring genres at the box office (see the $22 million opening of “Smile” over the weekend). “Bullet Train” opened to $30 million with Brad Pitt front and center, while Viola Davis’ “The Woman King” got off to a $19 million start. Both films also had action set pieces to lure in viewers, something “Bros” lacked as a comedy, which only means it needed that much more star power.
Hear that, Eichner? You lack star power.
is this gonna be a thing now? A gay movie underperformed, so it's due to homophobia? 🤡
— JS (@nicejanice19) October 3, 2022
The people who saw "Rocketman," "Bohemian Rhapsody," watched "Schitt's Creek" are "homophobic" because they didn't want to watch a movie with no big names directed by a guy who acts like a douchebag and blames everyone else for his own inadequacy as a filmmaker. https://t.co/d9mffebzPq
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 3, 2022
Pretty much.
— Drew the lesser (@GodHelpUsTX1) October 3, 2022
They didn’t make this to be a financial success; that would actually entail market research. They made the movie for critical acclaim within their Hollywood echo chamber. To be sure it is probably the only film that meets the intersectionality requirements for the Academy Awards
— ChickenDlABLO (@ChickenDlABLO) October 3, 2022
Yeah, very convenient there was almost no marketing for this movie. First time I saw a commercial for this was last week.
— wes (@superduck130) October 3, 2022
Billy Eichner is a rude, obnoxious jerk. He has said bigoted things about people and now he’s whining about them not giving him their money. Why would I pay to see him?
— Jona (@JonaGiammalva) October 3, 2022
Maybe people just don't like him and don't want to see him in a starring role in a movie? Might actually be that simple.
— Jason (@ScriptOhio) October 3, 2022
Billy's whole thing is being obnoxious to other people, and the movie appears to be about him playing a character that isn't like that at all and seemingly wants sympathy.
It's simply the most inappropriate casting decision of all time.
— Exhausted 🍷 Merchant (@RaySchneid) October 3, 2022
It’s a movie that didn’t sell. Why is this now a national conversation ?
— thomas J (@rightgay27) October 3, 2022
Because Eichner loves this movie and insists that everyone see it except for the homophobic weirdos.
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Related:
BRO, take the L! Billy Eichner brutally REMINDED he told half the country NOT to see his movie as his ‘Bros’ meltdown continueshttps://t.co/VKzyjdIZei
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 3, 2022
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