Sydney Sweeney has plenty to celebrate as Anyone But You, the romantic comedy she stars in and produced, surpassed $100 million at the worldwide box office.
“You guys are the best,” Sweeney, 26, wrote via Instagram Story on Sunday, January 22. “I know I keep saying this but I honestly can’t thank you enough for continuously sharing your love for this film.”
The Euphoria star added, “Rom coms are back baby!!!!!”
Anyone But You, loosely based on William Shakespeare‘s Much Ado About Nothing, follows Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell), who once had a steamy night together but have since become enemies. When they end up at a destination wedding together in Australia, they decide to pretend they’re dating to deal with their respective exes. The fake relationship sparks some real feelings between the two.
What happens in the end isn’t a surprise, but romantic comedy fans love watching the journey that comes before happily ever after. Powell, 35, recently came to the defense of rom-com lovers while at Sundance Film Festival.
“At least for me, I’ve always been a fan of movies in general and I always find it silly when certain actors diminish certain genres,” Powell told Variety on Sunday, January 21. “At its best execution, it gives an audience such joy and such fun, and as an actor you do get to play a lot of gears. To kind of scoff at a genre and look down on it is kind of silly.”
He added, “For me, Anyone But You was such a treat to see audiences dance out of the theater and feel so happy after watching a movie. To see the box office not just stick but grow has been such a cool lesson that sometimes the genres that have been forgotten are the ones audiences are craving the most.”
With $64 million at the domestic box office and $100 million worldwide, Anyone But You has more than earned back the $25 million budget. It is the most successful R-rated rom-com since 2016’s Bridget Jones’ Baby.
Anyone But You didn’t break box office records initially when it hit theaters on December 22, but it has seen steady increases for three consecutive weekends, an unusual trend that usually indicates a word-of-mouth hit. Fans have been discussing the movie online with Natasha Bedingfield‘s “Unwritten” — a key song on the soundtrack — becoming a trending sound on TikTok.
It also helps that Sweeney and Powell’s press tour went viral. On a Today show appearance last month, the costars were asked if there was “a little romance” between them — despite the fact that Sweeney has been engaged since 2022 to Jonathan Davino (who also served as an executive producer on the film). Powell, meanwhile, was dating Gigi Paris during filming, but they split shortly after the movie wrapped.
“No, no, but we do love each other,” Powell said. “Honestly, this is one of the most spectacular humans I’ve ever met. She’s really incredible.”
