You, Me & Tuscany raised a glass this weekend at the box office. But the film fell slightly short of expectations after bringing in an estimated $8.0 million, and debuting in fourth place.
The romantic comedy from producer Will Packer (Girls Trip) and director Kat Coiro (Marry Me) played in 3,151 locations, for a per theater average of $2,539, box office tracking company Comscore reported Sunday.
The romantic comedy starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page centers on a young woman who puts her dream of becoming a chef on hold, and heads to Italy for a housesitting gig. In the process, she meets the homeowner’s handsome cousin, played by Bridgerton heartthrob Page.
Disappointing Global Total
Outside North America, the Universal Pictures release earned $1.1 million, including in the U.K., Ireland, South Africa and other African territories, per Comscore.
That brought the film’s global weekend haul to $9.1 million. Analysts had projected the rom-com would debut with somewhere between $8 million and $12 million in the U.S. alone, so it landed on the low side of projections.
Reviews From Critics and Fans
Moviegoers liked what they saw and gave the film an “A-” CinemaScore in exit polling. Critics handed it a 70% score on Rotten Tomatoes, out of 82 reviews.
Peter Travers of Travers Take gave the rom-com two out of four stars, saying Bailey, 26, and Page, 38, lacked chemistry and displayed “something closer to a brother-sister vibe.”
Brooke Obie of Black Girl Watching described the film as “safe, sweet and believable,” but urged Hollywood to “stop pairing 10+ years-older men with young women as love interests.”
Kathia Woods of the Philadelphia Tribune called the film “undeniably cute” in her review, saying it’s “easy to like but difficult to love.”
What Went Wrong
On the phone Sunday, Woods told Urban Hollywood 411 the age difference between the leads was too wide. She also questioned the marketing campaign. The longtime critic suggested a more targeted campaign — with themed-events for foodies and wine lovers — may have convinced more people to see the film.
“They needed themed marketing centering on food and wine, and relied too heavily on social media influencers,” Woods said. “This is about wine, they should have partnered with the Black-owned McBride Sisters Wine Company.”
You, Me & Tuscany is one of the few widely-released romantic films featuring Black leads since 2014’s star-studded Think Like a Man Too, and The Photograph in 2020, starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield.
Packer produced Think Like a Man Too, which opened domestically with $29.2 million and went on to earn $70 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The Photograph debuted with $12.1 million and earned a global total of $21 million.
Pressure to Succeed
A lot is riding on You, Me & Tuscany after filmmaker Nina Lee posted on social media that studio bosses were waiting to see how the movie performed before taking on other romantically-themed movies with Black leads.
“Met with a studio about my already shot romcom and they won’t buy it until they see how You, Me & Tuscany does,” Lee tweeted last month and urged audiences to go see the film.
While the post stirred intense debate online, ultimately, moviegoers did not run out to watch the movie.
The film cost a reported $18 million to produce, plus millions more for marketing — including a press junket in California’s wine country, a red carpet premiere in New York, a splashy pre-release screening event in Atlanta, and television ads.
With movie theaters pocketing up to half of the money from ticket sales, the $9.1 million global debut is disappointing. Although Paul Dergarabedian, head of Comscore marketplace trends, believes word of mouth could help boost the film’s bottom line.
“With a 70% critics rating and 93% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, it looks like Tuscany is destined for long term playability and profitability despite some critics’ concerns about the film,” he told us Sunday. “Moviegoers are the final arbiters of the ultimate fate of the film.”
What Inspired the Film
At the premiere, Packer said he made the movie because his daughters are both in their twenties and wanted to see a Black love story on screen.
“I would ask them, what is it that you want to see? And they both said they never see themselves on the big screen like this, in an aspirational movie that was all about love and joy, and making mistakes, and all the mess of a rom-com,” he shared. “They actually helped me to shape the creative [idea].”
Elsewhere at the domestic box office this weekend, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earned another $69.0 million for a first place finish. Also released by Universal, the animated family film has made $308.1 million in North America in two weeks, according to Comscore.
Project Hail Mary was second with $24.5 million between Friday and Sunday in its fourth weekend in theaters. The film has made $257 million since it was released.
The Drama, starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya earned another $8.7 million in its second weekend for a third place finish. To date, the film has earned $30.8 million domestically.
As mentioned, You, Me & Tuscany took fourth place, and Pixar’s Hoppers rounded out the top five with $4.1 million in its sixth weekend.
Below is the box office chart from Paul Dergarabedian and Comscore:
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