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Billy Eichner reacts to criticism and poor box-office opening of ‘Bros’

“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,” he tweeted.
/ Source: TODAY

“Bros” star Billy Eichner has gone on the offensive after his comedy disappointed at the box office.

Eichner wrote and starred in the flick, which Universal released as the first gay rom-com made by a major studio.

(Universal Pictures is owned by our parent company, NBCUniversal.)

It’s also the first major studio film to feature a main cast of actors in the LGBTQ community. While the comedy broke barriers, it was met with relative disinterest among moviegoers, debuting last weekend in fifth place at the box office, with a total of $4.8 million.

Eichner was disappointed with the showing and said people are missing out on a good movie.

“Last night I snuck in and sat in the back of a sold out theater playing BROS in LA,” he tweeted Oct. 2. “The audience howled with laughter start to finish, burst into applause at the end, and some were wiping away tears as they walked out. It was truly magical. Really. I am VERY proud of this movie.”

He also wrote one theater chain tried to remove the trailer because of the subject matter, but the studio convinced them not to. TODAY did not verify his claim.

Eichner then shared his thoughts on why he believes some moviegoers won’t support the film.

“That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately,” he wrote. “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.”

“Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight!” he added. “You will have a blast! And it *is* special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen, esp for queer folks who don’t get this opportunity often. I love this movie so much. GO BROS!!!”

Eichner continued to share his thoughts about the "Bros" box-office performance the next day.

“Box office, as we all know, has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of a movie,” he tweeted. “And tweeting about a movie you haven’t actually seen is meaningless. That’s just twitter bull----. The majority of people who see Bros really love it! Go check it out and see for yourself!”

“And yes I’m going to continue tweeting about Bros every day for the next year just to spite you!” he continued in his thread. “GO BROS!!! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!! #BrosMovie”

Prior to the release of “Bros,” Eichner had spoken about the importance of making the film.

“I really, really want to do a good job because I think I owe it to the LGBTQ community,” he told TODAY in June. “You know, we want to see ourselves reflected in an authentic way and I also wanted it to be really, really funny for everyone.” 

Luke Macfarlane and Billy Eichner star in "Bros."
Luke Macfarlane and Billy Eichner star in "Bros."Universal Pictures

The comedian said he was a fan of popular rom-coms like “When Harry Met Sally” and “Moonstruck,” but seldom saw LGBTQ people represented in those types of films. 

“And so to make a movie like that, that felt smart and sophisticated and honest, but have it centered around a gay couple, I thought it was something that people would love and that the world needed,” he said.