In late 2023, the rom-com Anyone But You was released to theaters with low expectations. However, it ended up becoming one of the biggest success stories of the year, grossing over 218 million dollars. But the real question is: why did this movie make so much money when many others have failed in its place?

Romantic Comedies, also known as rom-coms, have been an indispensable genre of movies as long as movies themselves have been around. Often following a formula involving two lovers and the strange circumstances they are in, these movies are meant to be quick, fun, and comical.

The genre peaked in the 1990s and 2000s, with huge successes and staples emerging, such as 2002’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which grossed over 368 million dollars in the box office. But the genre began to steadily decline until the early 2010s, when it had all but disappeared from the theaters.

Looking at the statistics, Box Office Mojo reports that only two rom-coms released after 2010 have grossed over 100 million dollars at the box office, being last year’s Anyone But You and 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians. So we must wonder, what happened?

In the 2000s, a larger disparity began growing in the box office numbers between big blockbusters and smaller movies. Huge returns were made on the blockbusters, while the rom-coms would only perform moderately well.

Eventually, movies like The Dark Knight and the MCU’s successes made studios start directing their efforts toward marketing these action blockbusters. The funding that would’ve gone to rom-coms started going to epic, big-budget movies, and the rom-coms began not only making less money but having less funding to use for promotion as well.

The rise of streaming services also helped kill the comedy. Comedy budgets are usually at least a tenth of those of a tentpole action movie. With studios wanting to save money and produce action movies to make grand profits, they would hand mid-budget movies over to streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video, and let them take the project on, limiting the movies’ reach.

To make more money, streaming services can also stretch these movies out into long series. What may have started as an hour-and-a-half movie will be released on streaming services as a show with multiple seasons to maximize profit.

As the rom-com genre’s popularity declined, elements of them ended up in the action and superhero movies that reigned throughout the 2010s. It was no longer a rom-com movie, but an action movie with rom-com aspects. Take something like Spider-Man: Homecoming. If you really look at it, it’s just a superhero movie inserted into a teen rom-com.

But if the genre has fallen out of the mainstream, why were Crazy Rich Asians and Anyone But You able to become so popular? Is the rom-com truly dead?

Crazy Rich Asians benefited from international market releases, especially in Asia, where the movie was set. The international gross was especially high, which helped the movie immensely.

Anyone But You, however, did not benefit from the same factors. Pre-release reviews were generally mixed, and it had relatively little promotion and came after years of rom-coms failing in the box office. So why did it do so well?

Part of the reason was definitely in the movie itself. Will Gluck, who directed some of the best of the genre, including 2010’s Easy A, as well as 2011’s Friends With Benefits, was once again behind the camera. Gluck’s sure-handed direction helped make for a movie that not only provided a smooth viewing experience but also one that reminded you of the rom-coms of the late 2000s and early 2010s.

With this, the familiarity of the movie was refreshing. In a world packed with comedy movies that strive to be different, it’s always refreshing to see a movie that relies on familiar meet-cute tropes, reliably funny moments, and a predictable dumb but fun story.

The real draw, however, may be its two strong leads. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell have been primed to become some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and their chemistry makes watching them onscreen enjoyable, which may be the biggest factor of a rom-com’s success.

Deep down, this may be what always made rom-coms so successful. Without the great performances of leads like Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles, or Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, would 10 Things I Hate About You or How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days have been even half as successful – or good?

In the end, Anyone But You’s success wasn’t a fluke. While the genre has largely fallen out of popular favor, Anyone But You’s combination of the right ingredients made for a tasty dish that some people might have thought they might not ever taste again.

Are rom-coms really back forever? It’s too early to tell right now. However, romantics shouldn’t fear. After the genre went into a long slumber for the past decade, Anyone But You gladly welcomes it back while pointing to a bright future for the resurgence of rom-com.