The Streaming Glow Up
It is back at the top of watch lists again. Anyone But You landed on Hulu in late October and surged like it never left, turning a two year old theatrical win into a new wave of couch side buzz. The energy is easy to explain. Light. Flirty. Fast. It is the kind of movie people press play on after a long week and then text five friends about.
The Hook That Still Hits
A perfect first date. A dumb misread. A fake romance at a destination wedding where sun, salt, and secrets do most of the work. Bea and Ben pretend for the family. The audience watches them pretend to pretend. Then the pretending melts. It is a classic structure served hot, and it still works because these two sell a bit.
The Box Office That Changed The Math
Released in December 2023, Anyone But You became a rom com outlier in the best way. Against a modest production spend, it legged out through winter into spring and crossed about 220 million worldwide on roughly a 25 million budget. That is a monster multiplier for a contemporary date night movie. For context, it cracked the global top tier for modern romantic comedies and sat in theaters for months, not weeks.
The Hulu Moment Explained
Hulu’s October slate needed something fizzy between thrillers and holiday ramp up. Dropping Anyone But You on October 20 did two smart things. It caught the cozy fall mood and it caught the audience that missed it in theaters but heard all the noise. Bonus points for also listing the En Espanol version so bilingual homes can pick the vibe.
Why Viewers Hit Play Again
- Short runtime in a scrolling world. It is an easy weeknight watch that leaves you smiling.
- The beats are clean. Meet cute, sabotage, fake date, actually date, happy mess.
- The Australia backdrop acts like a character. Blue water is an instant mood lift.
- Dialog that zips without trying too hard. You can quote it but you do not need to.
The Chemistry That Sold Tickets
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell commit. That is the secret. Body language does half the talking. The fake couple sequences are essentially a slow dance where the steps keep changing. You can see the moment each of them forgets the script inside the script. It feels messy in the exact way fans like.
The Song That Became A Scene
Every big rom com has one needle drop everyone remembers. This movie is the sing along to Unwritten. It is shameless. It is joyful. It is also the only correct use of a windows down pop chorus when two people who are definitely not dating are obviously dating. The clip was built for social media. It traveled everywhere for a reason.
The TikTok Effect
This is the part where social becomes a marketing department. Couples filmed their own airport reunions set to that chorus. Friends reenacted the petty post date spiral. Outfit checks turned wedding guest looks into mini tutorials. TikTok did not just make memes. It helped new viewers understand the tone before they ever pressed play.
The Shakespeare Secret
If you felt something familiar during all the banter, you were right. Anyone But You is a breezy descendant of Much Ado About Nothing, which means sparring soul mates, meddling friends, and a party where the masks fall off. The twist is modern language and modern timing. The bones are Elizabethan. The walk and talk is entirely in the 2020s.
The Numbers You Can Drop In Chat
- Approximate budget near 25 million.
- Global gross around 220 million.
- One of the top earning live action Shakespeare inspired films ever.
- Runtime 103 minutes, aka perfect for a late night plan.
The Timeline From Theaters To Hulu
- December 2023 theatrical release starts slow and then sticks around.
- Early 2024 premium digital and rental window fuels word of mouth.
- A first streaming window lifts it again as a chart topper.
- October 2025 Hulu adds it to the fall lineup, and the cycle repeats with a fresh audience.
How The Marketing Got Spicy
The campaign leaned into chemistry instead of hiding it. Red carpet clips. Teasing behind the scenes bits. Winky interviews. The message was clear. This is a movie about people you like, played by people you like, acting like they cannot stand each other while accidentally falling in love. That kind of marketing writes itself when the footage is this fun.
What Critics And Fans Agreed On
It is not trying to reinvent the genre. It is trying to remember why the genre worked in the first place. When characters have jobs, friends, and reasons to lie to themselves that are not absurd, you can relax and enjoy the ride. The banter is fast but not cruel. The awkwardness is cute but not cringe. The fights sting but never curdle.
The Will Gluck Factor
The director behind Easy A knows how to stage a joke and how to stage a feeling. He shoots bodies like comedy instruments, then lets silence do punchline work. Big swings are rare in modern rom coms because risk can land flat. Here the swings land, and you can feel the confidence in the edit.
Fashion And Travel You Can Steal
- Wedding guest energy. Crisp linens, sun friendly pastels, polished sandals.
- Airport athleisure that still reads date ready. Think tailored joggers and a real jacket.
- Beach date looks that avoid the obvious. Structured cover ups, minimal jewelry, clean lines.
Share this with a friend who loves fashion and build a destination wedding capsule out of it.
Favorite Micro Moments To Watch For
- The split second wince when the fake couple routine hurts a real feeling.
- The family member who sees too much and says just enough.
- The petty smile that says I am fine when the eyes say I am not.
- The blink and you miss it shoulder brush that shifts the mood.
Why This Rom Com Worked In 2023 And Still Works Now
Audiences wanted a theatrical date night that felt grown but still fizzy. This was delivered. Streamers wanted a comfort movie with rewatch value and viral hooks. This delivered that too. Two years later, the same ingredients still taste good, especially in fall when people want something warm and familiar.
Group Watch Playbook
- Keep snacks bright and easy. Lemon bars, popcorn, gummy hearts.
- Create a fake dating dare jar. Best dare pulls the final say on the next movie.
- Start a sing along challenge. No shame. Unwritten is meant to be loud.
- Do not miss out. Try a dress code. Wedding guest chic for pics before play.
The Comfort Watch Science
Rom coms regulate stress for a lot of viewers. Predictable structures lower the temperature. Small stakes feel good because daily life carries enough big ones. Anyone But You starts at a simmer and never boils over. That is why you can rewatch it without getting tired. It is a mood stabilizer with jokes.
The Cast Who Make It Easy
Sydney Sweeney plays fire in the eyes without losing softness. Glen Powell plays goofball charm that hides a steady core. The supporting players keep the world alive. Friends have jobs. Parents have layers. Exes have reasons. When everyone on screen feels like a person, the fake dating bit rings truer.
Soundtrack Moments Beyond The Big One
Yes, the headline needle drop owns the discourse, but the music bed does a lot of invisible lifting. Breezy guitar here, a throwback dance beat there, and suddenly a simple walk and talk has a heartbeat. Good supervision keeps a film moving even when the script sits down for a minute.
The Fake Dating Trope Stays Winning
It is the blueprint that refuses to fade. Fake couple stories work because they force proximity and honesty without calling it that. The audience gets to be in on the secret. The characters get to figure it out slowly. The payoff feels earned because the mask comes off millimeter by millimeter.
Three Reasons It Keeps Trending On Streaming
- Clippable scenes. You can post five different 20 second bits that all sell the movie.
- Clean open. No heavy lore. Friends can jump in the cold.
- High shareability. People want to share a pick that makes them look like a good recommendation.
Box Office Record That Turned Heads
Anyone But You now wears the crown for the highest grossing live action Shakespeare inspired film. That is a fun sentence to type in a year when attention is fractured. It beat expectations and a long list of contenders by simply being rewatchable in a way most films are not.
The Australia Advantage
Sydney, beaches, boats, and light so bright you can feel the heat through your TV. Location is a character here. It sells romance like a co-lead. Also, destination weddings are the modern masquerade ball. Everybody is away from home. Everybody is pretending to be their best self. Of course sparks fly.
For First Time Viewers
Do not overthink it. Press play. Treat it like a beach read on a gray day. Let the leads be messy for the first 20 minutes. By the time the second act sets up the wedding chaos, you will already be rooting for the lie to become the truth. If it does not click for you in the first 15, it is probably not your flavor. That is fine too.
For Repeat Watchers
Try a micro focus pass. Watch only the reaction shots for one scene. Listen for the under-breath jokes you missed. Track how the body language evolves from performative to comfortable. Little details bloom when you are not chasing plot.
If You Loved This Watch Next
- A modern Much Ado that leans fully into the classic.
- A travel rom com with chaotic family energy.
- A workplace slow burn that scratches the banter itch.
Use the mood, not the title match. It is more fun that way.
Quick FAQ
- Where is it streaming now? Hulu, with an En Espanol version available.
- How long is it? 103 minutes.
- Is it R rated? Yes, for language and spicy humor.
- Do you need to know Shakespeare? No, but it is fun to notice the bones.
Calls To Action You Can Steal
- Share this with a friend who loves fashion and build a destination wedding outfit board together.
- Do not miss out. Try a sing along clip and tag two friends to duet.
- Drop your favorite one liner in the comments so others can pick it up.
Final Word
Anyone But You does the simplest thing most movies forget. It lets two charismatic people fall in love in front of us while the sun shines and the music plays. That is all it needed to do, and it does it with a grin. Comment your favorite scene, tag your rom com crew, and hit follow for more comfort watches that actually deliver.
