It was inevitably going to be said. In fact, it had to be said. When a movie bombs the way “Bros” did this weekend then there absolutely has to be a scapegoat.
The scapegoat here is the token American bigot.
I'm not saying a certain level of homophobia didn't contribute to a weak $4.8 million box-office opening for “Bros,” but these tweets sound like they were written by a sore loser (Billy Eichner):
Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! 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!!!
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.
Maybe if Eichner wasn’t such an obnoxious actor then more people would have been lured to watch “Bros.” The man is flat-out annoying. The fact that he basically plays himself in the movie only made it worse.
Dear Billy-Boy, critics and reviews are one thing, but persuading a big chunk of the country to pay their hard-earned cash to watch you unspooling your insufferable on-screen personality, for a soul-crushing 135 minutes, was an offer they had to refuse.
Then again, if we go by ‘Woman King’ logic, “Bros” could become a real success if it just breaks even. Its budget is $22 million. Just $17 million more and maybe the narrative will change for Eichner. It’s somewhat doable.