brothers – the new queer romantic comedy starring Billy Eichner – has caused a lot of conversation in the past week. Last weekend, Eichner’s film underperformed at the box office during his debut, which prompted the actor to share some thoughts on social media. Eichner expressed his disappointment at the $4.8 million and went on to claim that homophobia was factored into things and that straight people hadn’t seen the film. Since then, a number of people have shared differing opinions on the star’s claim. Director Nicholas Stoller is now taking up the polarizing tweets of his leading actor.
Sharing his thoughts on Twitter, Billy Eichner specifically stated that “straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just haven’t been showing up to Bros.” This is one of the main points that has been debated among box office analysts, critics and the general public alike over the past few days. Nicholas Stoller did not shy away from addressing the subject in an extensive interview The Hollywood Reporter. Per Stoller, Eichner told “the truth” as the viewership data obtained matched the actor’s assessment:
[As for his recent tweet], he was telling the truth. We got the data back. Gay men are the only people who have seen the film. It’s not like he said anything that was lying or wrong. I think the industry has trained people not to go to the theater for comedy. But I also think people saw it and thought, ‘This story isn’t my story. Why should I watch this?’ And they’re going to discover it slowly, because that’s what’s happened with most of the films that I’ve directed, with the exception of Neighbors, is that when it comes out into the world, people discover it. I think a lot of people are still afraid to go to the movies and a lot of people will get it on streaming.
In recent years there has been much discussion about the theatrical suitability of comedy. Many have made tiny returns compared to the sizeable numbers they brought in decades ago. And per his comments, Nicholas Stoller believes that trend — and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — contributed to the film’s low returns. Later in the interview, Stoller doubled down on his feelings while also making a guess as to the film’s long-term viewership:
What Billy said wasn’t wrong based on the data we got — it was a Neighbors-style hit among gay men. (Laughs) But we thought it would have a longer range based purely on testing. It has been tested highest in women. Among gay men it has not been tested the most. It was highly tested first of all among all. I do not know. (Laughs) It’s very confusing and a shame. And apart from that movie, it’s a crap just for storytelling. It’s going to be one of those things that people are discovering on PVOD and streaming. But it’s so much fun to watch this type of film in a cinema.
There is several factors that have been discussed regarding the film’s poor portrayal in its Opening weekend which was dominated by to smile. Some pundits have analyzed the star power of the cast, which (in a groundbreaking premiere) is made up of all LGBTQ+ actors. The effectiveness of Universal Pictures’ marketing campaignwho attached great importance to the historical character of the film was also questioned.
But before the cinema release brothers received positive early responses following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. That queer rom-com later received positive reviews from critics. Own by CinemaBlend Corey Chichizola called the comedy a riot with a fresh perspective. In the run-up to its debut, Billy Eichner has also promoted the film in a number of ways, one of which he humorously committed to Paul Rudd to encourage straight people to see it
Although they are clearly not happy with the reception at the box office, Nicholas Stoller, Billy Eichner and Co. are still proud of their film. Stoller also indicated that a number of films are finding renewed interest via streaming and/or PVOD. We’ll have to wait and see if that will be the case here.
You can see brothers in theaters now and be sure to check out the CinemaBlend schedule upcoming movies to keep up to date with other high profile productions releasing this year.
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