From Hollywood to Jedi Temple: The Rise and Redemption of Rom-Coms

The Force Awakens: From Slow Start to Sleeper Hit

Released just before the crowded Christmas movie season Sony's "Anyone But You" seemed destined to be anything but a box office hit — especially after it tallied just $6 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend. However the film's box office success was as much of a slow burn as the romance between its main characters played by rising stars Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. In the seven weeks since the romantic comedy has tallied $170 million globally including $80 million from domestic theaters according to data from Comscore. The film had a reported budget of just $25 million.

Rom Com Resurgence: A Healthy Sign for Hollywood

A sleeper hit at the box office the film is a "healthy sign" for the romantic comedy genre and other mid budget Hollywood flicks said Scott Meslow author of "From Hollywood With Love: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy." But it remains to be seen if other rom coms can repeat its success.

Rom Coms on the Cutting Room Floor

As studios chased big budget superhero flicks after the success of Marvel's interconnected cinematic universe Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and DC Studios' "Man of Steel," the rom com found itself on the cutting room floor — and then as padding for streaming services. Between 2004 and 2010 Hollywood consistently released between 15 and 25 romantic comedy or romance films each year. But from 2011 through last year there were less than 15 new rom com or romance releases per year with most years falling below 10.

No Rom Com 'Kill Shot' Just Changing Priorities

Meslow said there was no rom com "kill shot," a film or series of films that sparked the decline in theatrical releases of the genre. Instead it came after media companies changed their priorities. "Studios are at the end of the day businesses," Will Gluck the writer director of "Anything But You" and the filmmaker behind "Easy A" and "Friends with Benefits," told CNBC. "So if they start to see a certain thing is successful they're going to try to replicate that success. So I don't think there's an inherent bias against rom coms and comedies."

Rise of Rom Coms: Changing Tides in Hollywood

Studios saw action or superhero movies with $200 million budgets and billions in box office returns as a priority over smaller budget films which may have been profitable but less so in comparison. Now as superheroes fall out of favor and Wall Street wants to see profitability from direct to consumer streaming platforms the romantic comedy genre is poised for a comeback.

TikTok Takes the Spotlight: Harnessing Modern Hollywood Marketing

Gluck attributes much of the film's box office popularity to word of mouth and the power of TikTok. In the wake of its release users on the social media platform began making short videos of themselves singing and dancing to Natasha Bedingfield's 2004 single "Unwritten." The song is featured in the film and cast and crew are seen singing and dancing to it during the final credits. "It would not surprise me at all if this became a textbook case of modern Hollywood marketing," Meslow said. "It's really harnessed TikTok and the stars' presence on it better than probably any movie ever released."

Unleashing the Force: The Future of Rom Coms

Hollywood will now find out if "Anyone But You" is a unicorn or a replicable theatrical strategy. The film benefited from several key factors including a blockbuster free January and limited direct competition. But the industry is already leaning into a strategy that relies on potential sleeper hits like "Anyone But You." Major studios have pledged to bring more mid budget films back to theaters. Those movies are able to fill the gaps between large tentpole features and provide consistent box office dollars.

The Return of the Big Screen: Theatrical Importance in a Streaming Era

More films also means more chances for studios to advertise future releases to the public. While some films will still be released only on streaming platforms Hollywood has rediscovered the importance of theatrical as part of overall downstream revenue. A film's debut in theaters creates buzz and a sense of quality that follows it through on demand sales and onto streaming platforms.

A Shining Example: The Netflix Streaming Revolution

Notably Sony's "No Hard Feelings," which tallied $83.8 million globally in 2023 on a budget of $45 million became a top streaming film on Netflix when it was released on the platform in October. "Anyone But You" is destined for Netflix after it wraps up its theatrical run as part of a streaming distribution deal with Sony signed in 2021.

The Fun Part of Filmmaking: Mid Budget Movies and Surpassing Expectations

Gluck who enjoys taking on a wide variety of projects expects he will continue to write and direct films like "Anyone But You" going forward. "I think I'd rather take a gamble on a mid to low budget movie than $200 million dollar movie," Gluck said. "Because my whole career has been mid level budget movies. But to me the fun part is always outperforming. It is always great when the expectations are low ... it's just it's really fun to be written off and outperform."