Billy Eichner’s romantic comedy Bros hit the scene this September to rave reviews, and positive reception for its representation of the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, the film did not perform as well at the box office as Eichner would have hoped, and he famously expressed his disappointment on Twitter about its commerciality. Now, the flick is getting a streaming premiere, despite its previous hopes for theatrical success.
Peacock recently announced that Bros will be available to Peacock subscribers on December 2nd. The film will hopefully reach a wider audience with its Peacock premiere. The streamer has recently prioritized debuting films on their platform shortly after their theatrical releases. For example, Peacock premiered Halloween Ends alongside the film’s theatrical run, and obtained Jurassic World Dominion shortly following its blockbuster theatrical success. The streaming service brokered a deal with Universal last year, so it won’t be long before 2022’s other theatrically released rom-com, Ticket to Paradise, lands on the streamer as well.
Bros box office failings previously went viral, as Eichner took to Twitter to blame “straight people” for the film being a bomb. The Billy on the Street star claimed that the fact it was a “gay rom com” could be attributed to its failings, and the audience attitudes towards LGBTQ+ representation deterred people from the film. This was a controversial statement, as many have attributed the lack of financial success of Bros to streaming popularity. Many romantic comedies have failed to receive theatrical releases, as success has been obtained on streaming.
Bros is not the only film failing to gain an audience by releasing theatrically. Previous blockbuster draws like Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan have failed to make the box office splashes that they used to. Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese has pointed the finger at the MCU for dominating movie theaters and being the only kind of films being touted by cinemas. This debate around the fate of theaters in a post-pandemic world will continue to circulate over the next few years. However, it is of note that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was the number one movie at the box office this weekend in its third week, and made over three times the amount of the second place competition, Strange World (another film by Disney).
Nobody knows for sure why Bros didn’t draw in the big bucks, however, a Peacock release could end up being very positive for the film. Many movies tend to find their audience on streaming platforms, and this could lead to more people in the LGBTQ+ community seeing themselves represented on screen.
You can check out Bros, and many other great films streaming on Peacock in the upcoming weeks. For more information on other projects hitting streaming later this year, make sure to check out CinemaBlend’s feature on where to watch the latest films online.
