Anyone But You Is The First Box Office Surprise Of 2024
The first couple of weekends of 2024 have been relatively quiet so far as the box office is concerned. Blumhouse's horror flick "Night Swim" is the only major new release to contend with thus far and the haunted swimming pool flick had a somewhat muted debut. But something pretty amazing is quietly unfolding right now, and it all has to do with Sony's rom-com "Anyone But You." Released at the tail end of last year, the film has quietly become the mind-blowing box office story of the moment, raking as the first true surprise of the year. So, what's going on exactly? Let's break it down.
The R-rated comedy, which stars Glen Powell ("Top Gun: Maverick") and Sydney Sweeney ("Euphoria"), opened to just $6 million over the weekend of December 22 against a $25 million budget. Facing a wave of competition from the likes of "Wonka" and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," it seemed to be pretty much dead on arrival, with Sony probably hoping it would make its money on VOD. Yet, the film grossed a whole lot more over New Year's weekend with an $8.7 million haul, representing a shocking 46% increase. Amazingly enough, it once again increased its take this past weekend, pulling in $9.75 million, per The Numbers. It has made $44 million domestically and $14.7 million internationally for a $58.7 million running total.
While I can't rightfully say I've gone over every single weekend in recorded history, I can say that I have not found a single instance of this ever happening before. That is to say, we're in uncharted waters as this is possibly the first time that a movie has ever made more in its third weekend of wide release than it did on its first two weekends. Sure, this happens frequently with limited releases that expand nationwide. But in a situation like this? It's unheard of.
Rom-coms are still a viable business
The film centers on Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell), who look like the perfect couple. However, after an amazing first date, something happens that dismantles the budding romance. They later find themselves unexpectedly at the same destination wedding in Australia and decide to pretend to be a couple. Will Gluck ("Easy A") directed the film, which also stars Alexandra Shipp ("Barbie"), GaTa ("Dave"), Hadley Robinson ("Winning Time"), Michelle Hurd ("Star Trek: Picard"), and Dermot Mulroney ("Scream VI").
There is much to consider here. For one, it's clear that word of mouth is through the roof for this one. With a pretty bare release calendar through February, there's really no telling how much money this film could theoretically make. Sony wisely decided to invest in a couple of major budding stars by giving them a romantic, R-rated vehicle to test the strengths of their star power. It's seriously paying off in the early going. Powell and Sweeney appear to be turning into butts-in-seats movie stars. That's increasingly rare these days.
More than anything, it proves once again that rom-coms are still extremely viable in the modern marketplace. Sony also did well last year with Jennifer Lawrence's "No Hard Feelings" ($87 million worldwide), while 2022 saw both "The Lost City" ($192 million worldwide) and "Ticket to Paradise" ($168 million worldwide) succeed in this arena. Yes, we've had disappointments like "Bros" but these movies do not — and arguably should not — have to be relegated to Netflix. Audiences will turn up for the right romantic comedy. Keep the budgets reasonable and there is money to be made here. The only question now is just how much money Sony is going to make with this one.
"Anyone But You" is in theaters now.