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Yes, streaming killed the romantic comedy star, but Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are hoping to change that with the pre-Christmas theatrical release of their Sony film Anyone But You.
While streaming has captured a large number of star-studded comedies and romantic comedies that have been sparse in theaters, that doesn't mean they don't work when performed directly on the big screen.
Post-pandemic, Universal Hawaii's George Clooney-Julia Roberts reboot Ticket to Paradise was a bright spot for older audiences last fall, opening to $16.5 million and a domestic cume of $68.2 million. dollars and a WW final profit of $168.7 million. “Before the pandemic, we shouldn't forget about Warner Bros.” Crazy Rich Asians opened with $26.5 million and ended at $174.8 million domestic and $239.3 million WW.
How do you bring a romantic comedy to the big screen? It's all about positioning, Powell told us last night at the film's premiere in New York.
“This movie is about the location, it's about the scale, it's about making the sets big, making the laughs big,” says the Top Gun: Maverick actor about being for the audience, that buys tickets, “Anyone But You” is “worth it.”
“We want to make a romantic comedy for the cinema, and you have to think about how to get people to the cinema,” Powell adds. “It’s really difficult.”
Directed and co-written by Will Gluck, the film follows Bea (Sweeney) and Ben's (Powell), who, after a fantastic date, find that their fiery attraction turns ice cold – until they unexpectedly meet again at a wedding in Australia. In the heat of the moment they pretend to be a couple.
Sweeney opened up about her relationship with Bea, telling us on the red carpet that the character is “really trying to figure out who the hell they are and she doesn't know what she wants,” a plight that many twenty-somethings can relate to.
The two-time Primetime Emmy nominee and Euphoria and White Lotus star emphasized the genre's importance on the big screen, explaining, “I think people need romantic comedies back in their lives: it's a fun experience, with your date or “To be with his friends.” Your family and go in there, smile and laugh and cry, and hopefully you can always go back.”
Beamed Sweeney: “We made romantic comedy big again.”
Any But You opens December 22nd.