When the romantic comedy "Anyone but You" opened in theaters over Christmas weekend, the competition for audience attention was stiff. Up against a DC Comics blockbuster ("Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom"), a family-friendly animated film ("Migration"), and an A24 critical darling ("The Iron Claw"), it wasn't a shock that when the smoke cleared, the Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney film made only $6 million over the weekend ($8 million if you count into Christmas Day earnings).
At the time, it seemed like just the latest example of how rom-coms, once cash cows, were now poison for studios.
But in a twist that mirrored the enemies-to-lovers premise of "Anyone but You," Sony didn't throw in the towel. Instead, it continued putting the movie out on thousands of screens. And to everyone's shock, audiences began to show up.
Suddenly, thanks to bigger titles underperforming (sorry, Aquaman) and an enormous amount of word-of-mouth goodwill, "Anyone but You" became must-see.
Now going into its sixth weekend in theaters, "Anyone but You" has surpassed the $100 million mark at the global box office and has become the first hit movie of the new year.
Below, five reasons why "Anyone but You" garnered so much buzz and became a box-office hit.