With just two movies in 2023, Sony saved a dying movie genre, as both turned out to be major hits: No Hard Feelings and Anyone But You. After a couple of rough years following the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023 was a great year for cinema, with massive box office hits like Barbie and highly-anticipated movies like Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon. 2023 also saw some surprise hits from different genres, but the one that surprised critics and viewers the most was the rom-com genre, with two movies that became quite successful with critics and at the box office.
Interestingly enough, both rom-com hits from 2023 came from the same studio: Sony. First was No Hard Feelings in June 2023, directed by Gene Stupnitsky and starring Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. Sony maintained this good streak with Anyone But You, released in December 2023, and directed by Will Gluck, and starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. Despite a couple of controversies from both, No Hard Feelings and Anyone But You felt like a fresh return to rom-coms, effectively saving this dying genre.
2023’s Biggest R-Rated Romantic Comedy Signals A Major Hollywood Shift
Anyone But You and No Hard Feelings battled to be 2023’s biggest R-rated romantic comedy at the box office, and the result signals a major shift.
Anyone But You & No Hard Feelings Are The Biggest R-Rated Rom-Coms In Years
No Hard Feelings followed Maddie Barker (Lawrence), a 32-year-old Uber driver and bartender who, as she owes property taxes, is forced to find another job when her car is repossessed and she’s on the verge of bankruptcy. To keep her home, which she inherited from her mother, Maddie responds to a Craiglist posting where wealthy couple Alison (Laura Benanti) and Laird Becker (Matthew Broderick) were looking for a “date” for their socially awkward 19-year-old son, Percy (Feldman), in exchange for a Buick Regal. Given the topics addressed in it, No Hard Feelings was rated R.
No Hard Feelings got positive reviews from critics and grossed over $87 million against a budget of $45 million, but it truly found its audience when it arrived on Netflix, reaching the number one spot of “most watched” titles immediately after its addition. Months later, Sony brought another R-rated rom-com that became an even bigger success than No Hard Feelings, thanks to its lead actors and the rumors that surrounded their behind-the-scenes dynamic.
Anyone But You follows Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell), former lovers who unexpectedly come across each other on their way to Australia for the wedding of Bea’s sister. When Bea learns her parents invited her ex-fiancé, she proposes to Ben that they pose as a couple so she can get rid of her ex-partner and Ben can make his crush jealous. Despite receiving mixed reviews, Anyone But You was a box office success, grossing $81 million on a $25 million budget.
Anyone But You vs No Hard Feelings: Which Movie Was A Bigger Success
Both No Hard Feelings and Anyone But You are bigger than any other post-pandemic rom-com at the box office, and though their success saved the genre, only one comes out on top. No Hard Feelings triumphed with critics, getting more positive reviews than Anyone But You as critics praised Lawrence and Feldman’s performances, but it wasn’t as profitable as probably expected.
Anyone But You is the box office winner in Sony’s battle of 2023 rom-coms, and as it had a smaller budget, it was profitable and became a bigger success than No Hard Feelings. The success of both movies is a good sign for rom-coms in the near future, especially those with an R-rating.
