Typically, when you go to the movies these days you’re going to see a superhero movie, a sequel, or a prequel. Not often is it a rom-com. However, over the course of the month, we’ve received not one, but two rom-coms with theatrical releases. One was Bros, which came out earlier this month, and the other is Ticket to Paradise which comes out this week. Now, days before its U.S. release, Ticket to Paradise star George Clooney is commending the movie for not going straight to streaming.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen rom-coms released mostly on streaming platforms, and they’ve been super successful. Some of the best films this genre has to offer didn’t get a theatrical release. This includes the 2018 Netflix hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Hulu’s 2020 hits Palm Springs and Happiest Season. So, with even the star-studded rom-coms going straight to smaller screens these days it’s impressive that Universal decided to give Ticket to Paradise an exclusive theatrical release. George Clooney explained to THR:
Universal did a very brave thing. These things are only going on streamers now and they did a very brave thing to make a movie like this. We’re grateful. We’re hopeful.
Even just from the trailer, it became clear that this film could help kickstart a theatrical rejuvenation of the rom-com, especially with the A-listers leading the film. Since the movie stars two incredibly iconic actors – Clooney and Julia Roberts – who have a successful shared history. this film seemed bound to be a home run. Then, when the movie opened overseas it made $60.6 million, and it’s expected to be a hit at the United States box office as well. Clooney nodded to its worldwide success as well, saying:
This is all fun. We’re proud of the film. We enjoy it. It’s a hit already and so we already feel like it’s sort of been a great success.
There really is a lot going for this film. It marks the duo's sixth time working together – their other collaborations include Ocean’s Eleven and Twelve, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Money Monster, and August: Osage County. They have remarkable chemistry, and they are not afraid to throw some light-hearted, silly shade at each other, as they demonstrated in the Ocean’s movies.
On top of this Roberts is a rom-com queen. Some of the actress's best rom-coms have also been placed on CinemaBlend’s best rom-coms of all time, like Notting Hill and Pretty Woman. So, seeing her return to the genre is incredibly exciting.
Critics are all about Clooney and Roberts, and I’d assume audiences will be as well. Their star power alone feels like enough to make a movie successful in the theaters. I’m so happy that this movie is a rom-com, because the genre deserves to be seen on a big screen every once and a while, in my opinion. And it seems like Universal agrees.
You can catch Ticket to Paradise in theaters on October 21, and you can check out the 2022 movie schedule for all the other rom-coms coming out this year, both on streaming and theatrically.
