Sydney Sweeney claimed she was the mastermind behind the ultimate success of her film, “Anyone But You,” during a recent interview with The New York Times.
The movie kicked off with lukewarm reviews and box office numbers, and generated just $8 million over the Christmas weekend, after $25 million was invested in the film, according to The New York Times. It sat at fifth place, then suddenly, something changed, and the numbers began to soar. Sweeney says, she’s the main reason for the spike. She said she pushed Sony to take “a leap of faith” by releasing a specific, raunchy clip she starred in, and then heavily promoted the film on her own social media account, and she believes this was the big save.
Sydney Sweeney attends Tory Burch Spring/Summer 2023 New York Fashion Week on September 13, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Tory Burch
Sydney Sweeney attends Miu Miu lunch hosted by Sydney Sweeney at l’Ecrin Plage during the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2023 in Cannes, France. Photo by Victor Boyko/Getty Images for Miu Miu
Sweeney said she released the viral promo clip of her and co-star Glen Powell whispering sexually to one another, and immediately noticed pick up on TikTok, as fans began lip-syncing and dancing to the song “Unwritten,” by Natasha Bedingfield – the song featured in the film.
The famous actress said she began sharing the clips on her own social media account, which consists of 20 million Instagram followers, and kept doing that to push the film forward.
Sydney Sweeney attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.” Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Sydney Sweeney attends the 2022 HBO Emmy’s Party at San Vicente Bungalows on September 12, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images
Sydney Sweeney attends as Sydney Sweeney x LANEIGE celebrate Global Bouncy & Firm Sleeping Mask Launch. Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for LANEIGE US
“I was like, this is really interesting, so I saved that and I storied that,” Sweeney said, making reference to her Instagram’s Stories feature, according to The New York Times.
“Before I knew it, I was doing it every single night,” she said.
“It just spiraled into this thing that created a TikTok trend, and that is truly what built the audience,” Sweeney told the publication.
Sydney Sweeney attends the 2024 People’s Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on February 18, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Sydney Sweeney attends the World Premiere of Sony Pictures’ “Madame Web” at Regency Village Theatre on February 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Honoree Sydney Sweeney attends ELLE’s 29th Annual Women in Hollywood celebration presented by Ralph Lauren, Amyris and Lexus at Getty Center on October 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ELLE
Director Will Gluck seemed to corroborate the initial flop, followed by a spike in the film’s popularity.
“I kept my expectations low and, in retrospect, not low enough,” Gluck said.
“The first week was disappointing.”
The second and third weeks led to increased growth, and then surged. Popularity included the overseas and non-English markets, which is not typical of a Hollywood comedy, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: Dermot Mulroney Reveals The Strange Thing That Kept Him Out Of Work After Filming Hit Movie)
The film remained in theatres until the end of February, and was later released to Netflix. It is estimated to have grossed approximately $218 million worldwide.