Every now and again a rom-com drops that has a rewatchability component that is bar none. You know what I’m talking about, the type of rom-com that you’d throw on whether you were browsing cable channels or going through a list of brand new streaming releases. The type of rom-com you’ve watched so many times you know lines like “You have a baby. In a bar.” The type of releases that make best all-time rom-com lists. I wanted You, Me & Tuscany to be that rom-com. Indeed, it was delightful when I saw it during release week, but I'm getting very concerned about the future of this rom-com, and rom-coms in general.
If you’ve seen You, Me & Tuscany, by now you probably know it features a charming Italian family, a very wet Regè-Jean Page and a lot of wine-drinking. It’s also landing reasonably good reviews from the critics (CinemaBlend gave it a 3/5), and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes are especially bullish, handing it an impressive 93% rating. That hasn’t translated to box office, however.
During opening weekend, You, Me & Tuscany did not land at No. 1. It did not land at two or three on the list either, as Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Project Hail Mary, and The Drama all pulled in tidier sums than the Halle Bailey-fronted film. This is bad news for rom-coms as a whole, and it's really bumming me out.
If Solid Movies Can't Earn Money, What's Next For Rom-Coms?
I know rom-coms can work at the box office, because I saw Anyone But You open to a packed audience back in 2023. It’s a genre that often falls into the “I’ll catch this at home” trap, but figuring out ways to get people back into theaters for genres that aren’t tentpole films or horror is so paramount to keeping the theater as a viable option longterm. In my opinion, it's also just better to watch a good rom-com with an audience, so when a decent one isn’t moving the needle, it really hurts.
It makes sense when mediocre rom-coms come out and don't do well. We have to vote with our wallets, and spending money for movies that aren't worth it is hard when popcorn and more up the ante a ton. However, in this case, if a movie with two notable leads that seems to have been enjoyed by nearly everyone who saw it can't make it, what can?
Furthermore, producer Will Packer spoke out about You, Me & Tuscany and its Black-led cast ahead of release, and made a second good point: you don’t see people like Bailey and Page in those “type of environments” (in this case, a winery in Italy). It’s a fun story and I want more diversity in rom-coms, too.
We are currently in a landscape where even when a rom-com does well, it doesn’t always get its due. It’s still absolutely crazy to me that Crazy Rich Asians absolutely dominated in theaters in 2018 and we never got a sequel, despite the fact there’s literally a sequel book just ripe for adaptation. (Though, maybe one day that will change…) Most rom-coms are still being relegated to streaming, too. While I don’t mind watching at home with my mom-sized glass of wine, I’d still rather have some Twizzlers, a gal pal, and a giant screen to look forward to. But if we want better-than-mediocre rom-coms to be made, we as fans have to start showing up for them.
