Billy Eichner has said he is “disappointed” that “straight people didn’t show up for” his new movie Bros.
The film, which is being pegged as Hollywood’s first major gay romcom, has received acclaim from critics, but has not been a hit at the box office.
It is estimated to make just $4.8m (approximately £4.3m) – half of what Universal had hoped – during its opening weekend.
In a Twitter thread shared on Sunday (2 October), Eichner wrote: “Last night I snuck in and sat in the back of a sold-out theatre 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. Really. I am VERY proud of this movie.”
He added: “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 encouraged “everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo” to go to see Bros.
“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!!!” he added.
Not only is Eichner the first openly gay man to write and co-star in his own major studio film, Bros also stars all-openly LGBTQ+ actors in the film’s main roles, and is the first gay romcom from a prominent Hollywood studio.
Eichner stars opposite Luke Macfarlane in the movie, about two gay men who are “maybe, possibly, probably stumbling towards love”.
Other cast members in Bros include transgender actor TS Madison (who starred in indie hit Zola), gender non-confirming entertainer Miss Lawrence (The United States vs Billie Holiday), RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 alum Symone, Scandal actor Guillermo Diaz, and Billy on the Street writer Guy Branum.
