It seemed like the romantic comedy genre was going to make a comeback when George Clooney and Julia Roberts’ Ticket to Paradise hit a box office milestone for the two stars together and individually. But then last year’s rom-com Love Again starring Priyanka Chopra was a box office flop debuting at $2.4 million with expectations to be $5 million. Clearly the rom-com genre is not dead as Glen Powell announced his new movie Anyone But You has been quickly racking up more than $100 million.
It may seem like high-budget superhero and sci-fi films are all people want to see. But, there is an audience out there who would like to see the comedic shenanigans a couple goes through that leads to the sparks flying. That seems to be the case with Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney’s Anyone But You. Powell posted on Instagram how proud he was of his 2023 movie release making more than $100 million at the box office through the fans and what a rare feat it is for a movie’s numbers to grow weekly like this. Take a look at this congratulatory post below:
Glen Powell posted a number of cute photos between him and his female lead Sydney Sweeney from the set. There are also captured moments between him and the rest of the cast and crew, including Powell's parents who have cameos in the box office success. The photo that made me laugh the most was the nude photo of the Top Gun: Maverick star looking serious holding a giant sign of the lyrics to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” which was featured in the film.
Not only is Glen Powell happy about the success of his movie, but so are plenty of A-listers who congratulated the actor on his success. You can find the praiseworthy comments from stars like Sydney Sweeney, Octavia Spencer, Aaron Paul, and more below.
- Sydney Sweeney- thank you for going on this wild fun ride with me :) forever my favorite 🐝📖🫶🏼
- Gwyneth Paltrow- Yay! No one deserves this more than YOU❤️
- Octavia Spencer- Congratulations!!!!! You deserve it
- Aaron Paul- So incredible man! Truly amazing.
- Patrick Schwarzenegger- Congrats my brother 😍
It’s incredible the amount of people who’ve supported this movie. And Glen Powell is absolutely right about Anyone But You’s growing success. According to Box Office Mojo, the Much Ado About Nothing adaptation made its weekend debut at $6.3 million, making fourth place at the box office. On its second weekend, it rose to $8.8 million. Its third weekend climbed at a 9% increase to $9.5 million. Worldwide, Anyone But You has made a total of $101,869,045, making this rom-com a sleeper hit audiences have been flocking to theaters for.
After the Will Gluck-helmed movie crossed the $100 million threshold, Glen Powell believed it was time that we stopped “scoffing” at rom-coms. He felt like it was silly to look down on a genre that makes audiences feel happy. I have to agree with that as not every movie that’s released needs to be Oscar-worthy. There are some movies you watch because they bring out a chuckle in you or a smile when you see the budding chemistry between two leads.
The ‘80s were the time that audiences started to fall in love with on-screen romances with hits like When Harry Met Sally. Then the ‘90s brought out kings and queens of the genre with the best romantic comedies of all time starring Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, and Hugh Grant. The 2000s started rolling in with so many memorable rom-coms that shockingly made more than $100 million at the box office like How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, The Break-Up, and Four Christmases. 2002’s indie romance comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding even got the record of being one of the top romantic films of the 21st century earning over $368.7 million.
Sadly, the 2010s made the rom-com genre plummet. According to Reuters, audiences wanted to see more movies with spectacle. Big-budget films with big screen visuals like Avatar 2 or a Marvel movie attracted audiences more, making studios prioritize projects like that. But with Anyone But You making box office gold, maybe studio perspectives can shift.
With fans contributing to the high $100 million box office Anyone But You scored, this proves that the romantic comedy genre is on the verge of making a comeback. With a funny story and two leads who have undeniable onscreen chemistry, audiences will swarm to theaters knowing they’ll be in for a good time.
Be part of the numbers and watch the Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney-led film in theaters now. You can also check out our 2024 movie releases in case any other films in the rom-com genre make their way there.
