Billy Eichner's LGBTQ romantic comedy, "Bros," completely bombed at the box office and the actor is blaming homophobia across the country.
The film, which has been hailed as Hollywood's first major gay romcom, raked in just $4.8 million domestically during its opening weekend, which is half of what Universal had hoped for, according to UPI.
Its poor performance was somewhat unexpected. The film received acclaim from critics but when it came to the crux, moviegoers were just not interested. Taking to social media, Eichner wrote about his disappointment over the underwhelming turnout, then lashed out at "homophobic weirdos."
"Last night I snuck in and sat in the back of a sold out theater playing BROS in LA," Eichner began his tirade on Twitter. "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."
Eichner proceeded to call out straight people, stating they were the reason the film bombed.
"That's just the world we live in, unfortunately. 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," he wrote in followup tweet.
"Everyone who ISN'T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast!" he continued. "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!!!"
According to the plot synopsis, "Bros" follows two gay men with commitment problems who are 'maybe, possibly, probably stumbling towards love. Maybe," Movieweb reports. "They're both very busy."
Eichner previously shared his excitement about the film and its gay theme with The Hollywood Reporter.
"I could not be more proud or excited about the historic nature of the all openly LGBTQ+ cast of 'Bros,'" he said. "After queer actors have spent decades watching straight actors capitalize both artistically and professionally by playing LGBTQ+ characters, it is a long overdue dream come true to be able to assemble this remarkable, hilarious cast."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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