Universal's gay rom-com starring Billy Eichner Bros grossed only $4.8 million in its first weekend at the box office.
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"Despite glowing reviews, high Rotten Tomatoes scores, an A CinemaScore, and other accolades, straight people, particularly in certain parts of the country,
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And it's unfortunate, but it is what it is," Eichner tweeted on Sunday. "Unfortunately, that is the world we live in."
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Citing factors such as the film's R rating, waning rom-com audience interest, and a lack of identifiable star power,
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Even when compared to its relatively modest $22 million budget, the film's weekend box office numbers are surprising.
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"There were indications prior to the release that it would underperform at some level, but not quite to that extent," Box office chief analyst Shawn Robbins
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The truth is that romantic comedies have been declining in popularity in theatres since their peak in the 1990s and early 2000s.
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Judd Apatow produced Bros, the comedy kingmaker who has struggled to replicate the success of some of his biggest mid-career films.
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"Rom-coms had a heyday and couldn't miss." People would flock to the movie theatre to see a comedy with a great concept.
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"When we look at rom-coms as a whole, it's been really difficult to find an R-rated example that works on a box office-wide level."
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