22 Years Later, Not a Single Romcom Managed to Outgross This Box Office Wonder in US

No matter how you feel about romantic comedies, you cannot deny how many people with different views and interests they can bring together. Just as love is capable of uniting humanity in the most difficult moments of history, it is also capable of bringing masses to the theaters.

The most recent example of this is, of course, Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney 's romance Anyone But You, which premiered in December 2023 and has been a real sensation ever since. Many experts agree that we're on the verge of a real renaissance in the romantic comedy genre, and audiences are excited about all the upcoming releases.

But no matter how many people are now obsessed with Anyone But You, the lead pairing of Bea and Ben, and the undeniable chemistry between Powell and Sweeney, the movie hasn't even made half of the box office that the highest-grossing romantic comedy in the United States has ever made. And that fact alone calls for an immediate rewatch.

What Is The Highest Grossing Romcom?

Since 2002, the title of highest-grossing romantic comedy in the United States has belonged to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. An independent production with a shoestring budget of just $5 million, the film managed to blow up theaters, gross $368 million at the box office, and become an international hit in just one month.

But globally, Stephen Chow's The Mermaid (2016) is the ultimate winner with its whopping $525 in the international box office, followed by Pretty Woman (1990) with $463 million.

Starring Nia Vardalos and John Corbett, the movie follows the romantic story of Fotoula Portokalos, who falls in love with a man but can't get her Greek family to approve. The man she loves, Ian Miller, is an American, and the cultural conflict sets the hostile stage.

Toula must overcome many obstacles on her way to set aside all differences, find peace with her own heritage, and celebrate a wedding to remember. The movie has a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is mostly praised for the simplicity of the story, which is relatable to many people in the US.

As is usually the case with successful stories, the production team decided not to stop with one movie and continued the franchise.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, released in 2016, dropped significantly in quality, earning itself a 27% rating with mostly negative reviews. The most recent, third installment, which premiered in 2023, also failed to impress critics, landing at 29%.

If you want to watch the original groundbreaking romcom, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is available for streaming on Max.