'Bros' star Billy Eichner reacts to 'disappointing' box office opening

Billy Eichner has shared his thoughts regarding the meager box office opening for his LGBTQ romantic comedy “Bros,” writing that “straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up.”

In a thread posted to his official Twitter, Eichner, who wrote, produced and stars in “Bros,” asserted that he is “very proud” of the movie, describing his experience covertly watching a sold out screening in Los Angeles during the weekend.

“Last night I snuck in and sat in the back of a sold out theater playing ‘Bros’ in LA. The audience howled with laughter start to finish, burst into applause at the end and some were wiping away tears as they walked out,” Eichner wrote. “It was truly magical. Really. I am VERY proud of this movie.”

The star also divulged that a theater chain had mounted plans to pull the trailer for “Bros” from its programming due to “gay content,” but Universal eventually convinced the company to maintain its placement in the pre-show rotation. Universal Pictures and NBC News are both owned by NBCUniversal.

“That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately,” Eichner continued. “Even with glowing reviews, great Rotten Tomatoes scores, an A CinemaScore, etc., straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros. And that’s disappointing but it is what it is.”

Eichner concluded his thoughts by encouraging “everyone who isn’t a homophobic weirdo” to see “Bros,” writing that it remains “special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen.”

“Bros” is the first gay rom-com to be given a wide theatrical release by a major studio, as well as the first with an all-openly LGBTQ cast.

The film fizzled at the box office this weekend, opening in fourth place with a slim $4.8 million gross from 3,350 locations. Though “Bros” carries a modest $22 million production budget, it will likely struggle to achieve profitability, considering its disappointing debut.

Even so, “Bros” has earned glowing approval from critics and audience polling remains strong. Universal will hope that word-of-mouth provides some staying power for the film in the coming weeks.

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