Sydney Sweeney's Record-Breaking Rom-Com is a Streaming Hit in America

A divisive figure in Hollywood today, it is at least undeniable just how big a draw Sydney Sweeney can be. Put her with the effortlessly cool Glen Powell in a romantic comedy based on a Shakespeare play, and a recipe for box office success is born. Released in 2023 to huge critical backlash, Anyone But You, which also starred Alexandra Shipp (Barbie) and Dermot Mulroney (Chicago Fire), became an instant hit with audiences, with this split opinion perfectly illustrated by the 53% critics' score and 87% audience rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

However, the film wasn't just a hit two years ago, proving popular once again this week on streaming. At the time of writing, Anyone But You is one of the ten most-streamed titles on Hulu in the U.S., losing out on the top spot only to Alex Murdaugh's new true-crime series, Murdaugh: Death in the Family. Anyone But You had to fight off poor reviews back in 2023, with the critics' consensus on the aforementioned review site reading, "Slick direction and a pair of tremendously watchable stars make Anyone But You a passably fizzy diversion despite a less than scintillating story." Thankfully, at a time when rom-coms seem to be making somewhat of a resurgence, the film captured audience hearts and became a big box office hit. For anyone yet to see the movie, here's a look at the synopsis:

"In the edgy comedy Anyone But You, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold -- until they find themselves unexpectedly thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia. So they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple."

'Anyone But You' Broke a Niche Record

At the box office, Anyone But You was an enormous success, turning a modest $25 million budget into a global haul of $220 million. The film is one of the 30 highest-grossing romantic comedies of all time globally, and managed to maintain a box office run that impressively ran from December 2023 through April 2024. The movie's financial triumph has been well-documented, but what few will know is that Anyone But You holds a box office record. Officially, the film is the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation ever.

Anyone But You is streaming now on Hulu.

Release Date

December 22, 2023

Runtime

103 minutes

Producers

Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth