The Future of the Black Rom-com Shouldn’t Depend on You, Me & Tuscany

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The movie industry is really a business driven by big hits. This weekend, films like Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Bros. Movie are keeping theaters busy and grabbing all the attention, while failures like Warner Bros.’ The Bride! unfortunately dominate the conversation. Most films that aren’t huge successes or complete failures get lost in the shuffle and end up on streaming services. So, what can we learn from movies that simply perform adequately? Films that do okay, but aren’t spectacular, and aren’t terrible either?

Universal’s new romantic comedy, You, Me & Tuscany, had a solid opening weekend in theaters. It debuted at number four among new releases, behind Super Mario Bros. 2, Project Hail Mary, and The Drama, earning $8 million domestically against an $18 million budget. The film also made $1.1 million internationally. With a 70% score on Rotten Tomatoes and positive audience reviews, You, Me & Tuscany could become a sleeper hit in the coming weeks. Alternatively, it might fade quickly, recouping its costs through on-demand rentals. Either way, it’s unlikely to significantly impact Universal’s overall financial performance, especially with major releases from Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Minions still to come this year.

While the film earned decent money at the box office, some in the industry weren’t impressed. There was a lot of anxiety leading up to the release of You, Me & Tuscany – the first romantic comedy with a Black cast to play in theaters since 2012’s Think Like a Man – about whether its success would determine if future rom-coms starring and created by Black actors would get made and shown in cinemas. Writer-director Nina Lee shared on X that a studio head told her they wouldn’t consider buying her finished rom-com until they saw how You, Me & Tuscany performed, and another executive said the same about a romance script she had. She urged people to go see the film to help ensure more projects like hers get the green light.

According to Scott Mendelson, a media analyst for The Outside Scoop and The Box Office podcasts, as well as Puck, there’s a clear prejudice against the kinds of films Lee is trying to make. He explains that romantic comedies—especially those with Black leads—face intense pressure to succeed, more so than other genres. Mendelson believes the fate of Black rom-coms is unfairly riding on the success of You, Me & Tuscany, because Hollywood often makes illogical decisions. He argues it will likely be easier to get funding for a sequel like Tron: Ares than for another film like Housemaid. He also dismisses suggestions that You, Me & Tuscany should have gone to streaming services like Netflix or Hallmark, stating that such comments aren’t constructive.

Will Packer, the producer of “You, Me & Tuscany,” is well aware that Hollywood often underestimates the potential of films with Black leads. His previous movies – like “Ride Along” (2014), “Think Like a Man,” and “Girls Trip” (2017) – have consistently proven successful, exceeding expectations and staying popular in theaters, often to the surprise of industry observers. Last week, Packer actively promoted the idea that “You, Me & Tuscany” could pave the way for more Black romantic comedies and encourage people to buy tickets. He told The Hollywood Reporter that the industry has a poor track record with diverse films and emphasized to Variety that audiences have the power to influence what gets made by supporting films they want to see.

While it’s hard to disagree with Packer’s main point, You, Me & Tuscany likely would have been a much bigger success this weekend – even a surprise hit – if it hadn’t been competing with another romantic comedy starring a Black lead, The Drama. The two films are quite different in tone. The Drama centers on a couple, played by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, with Mamoudou Athie as their friend and voice of reason. Its humor comes from the awkwardness surrounding Zendaya’s character revealing she almost committed a mass shooting as a teen. You, Me & Tuscany, on the other hand, offers what Bilge Ebiri calls “warm-hued pleasantness”: lighthearted banter between the leads, dreamy shots of delicious Italian food, and the attractive Page singing an acoustic version of Mario’s romantic song “Let Me Love You.”

After its first week, The Drama only experienced a 39% drop in viewers – a strong performance, as most films typically see around a 60% decrease in their second weekend. It particularly appealed to the same female audience that enjoyed YM&T. According to Mendelson, the success of this acclaimed romantic comedy, starring a woman of color, likely drew viewers away from You, Me & Tuscany, causing it to open with $8 million instead of a potential $11 million.

He argues that unconventional romantic comedies are currently more successful than those simply imitating older styles. However, he emphasizes that a thriving movie market should be able to support both types. He believes there’s enough audience interest for multiple kinds of romantic comedies, and no one will suffer financially because of it.

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2026-04-14 00:54