For my cash, “Bridesmaids” is likely one of the greatest American comedies ever made, and we’ve co-writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo to thank for it, together with their fearless director Paul Feig. Apparently, although, Wiig — the beloved “Saturday Night time Stay” staple who wrote and starred within the film — thought it was an enormous failure at first, as a result of it did not have a formidable opening weekend.
“Bridesmaids” completed second on the field workplace in its preliminary opening weekend — behind the primary “Thor” film — and by the tip of the weekend, it boasted a gross of roughly $26 million towards a $32.5 million price range. Nonetheless, phrase of mouth saved the movie going, and when all was stated and accomplished, “Bridesmaids” raked in a really spectacular haul of $288 million the world over and even grew to become the highest-grossing movie produced by comedy powerhouse Judd Apatow, surpassing his 2007 movie “Knocked Up.”Past all of these accolades, the film even earned Oscar nominations, together with a screenplay nod for Wiig and Mumolo and a supporting actress nomination for Melissa McCarthy, who grew to become one in all Hollywood’s largest stars within the aftermath of “Bridesmaids.”
So why on this planet did Wiig suppose it bombed? Chatting along with her former “SNL” colleague and pal Amy Poehler on Poehler’s podcast “Good Grasp,” Wiig stated that the studio, Common, wasn’t precisely optimistic about the entire thing. “After opening weekend, they have been like, ‘Effectively, we tried,'” Wiig stated, deadpan.
Once more, what?! As Wiig defined, the studio felt just like the film’s opening weekend was the make-or-break second. Fortunately, as she identified, the film gained a ton of traction because of phrase of mouth. “After which I believe simply, an increasing number of individuals saved seeing it, after which issues type of occurred later,” she concluded. As a result of that is Wiig we’re speaking about, she threw in a barely risqué joke: “It was a grower.”
The director of Bridesmaids was additionally nervous the blockbuster comedy would bomb on the field workplace
Director Paul Feig, who went on to work with Melissa McCarthy on hit comedies like “The Warmth,” “Spy,” and the all-female “Ghostbusters” reboot after making “Bridesmaids,” was additionally nervous about the very same final result as Wiig was when he made “Bridesmaids.” (Feig spoke about this throughout a SXSW panel in March 2025, per Selection.) Apparently, lots of people Feig knew — particularly feminine writers — have been “pitching female-led comedies” to studios and have been informed, “We now have to attend and see how ‘Bridesmaids’ does.” The strain was, clearly, immense. “I used to be like, ‘F***! Do not put that on me. Am I gonna destroy films for girls?'” Feig stated earlier than talking up a few clear double normal. “I do not suppose with ‘The Hangover’ they stated, ‘I am gonna wait to see all these dudes on display earlier than we do that once more,'” he joked. “However thank god it did nicely.”
Nonetheless, as Feig identified — which corroborates Wiig’s recollection — the studio was downright pessimistic concerning the story of a lady, Annie Walker (Wiig), getting more and more frantic and jealous whereas she’s a bridesmaid for her greatest pal Lillian Donovan (Maya Rudolph). “Proper until the day we got here out, we have been predicted to not do nicely,” Feig remembered. “We have been informed, ‘You need to make $20 million on opening weekend, or you’ll be thought of a failure.'”
To make issues worse, based on Feig, a last-minute late-night screening of the movie did not carry out. “And we did a midnight screening the night time earlier than that did not go nicely,” the director stated. “They have been like, ‘It is gonna be $13 million. Sorry, it is a bomb.’ All day, I used to be strolling round, like, ‘I assume I destroyed comedy for girls.'” Removed from it, Feig! Do not you are worried!
Bridesmaids was an infinite success
“Bridesmaids” has turn into a serious Hollywood success story and a beloved comedy traditional because it was launched in 2011. Because of Kristen Wiig’s grounded but completely bonkers efficiency as Annie — her complete sequence on the airplane is likely one of the film’s largest highlights and most quotable scenes — and unbelievable supporting turns from comedic undercover agent Rose Byrne (as Lillian’s rich new pal and Annie’s defacto nemesis Helen Harris III) and Melissa McCarthy (because the groom’s erratic however extremely sensible sister Megan Worth) do not harm both. So will we ever get a sequel now that the studio was proved soundly fallacious over the field workplace haul for “Bridesmaids?”
No, based on Wiig — and I believe that is for the very best. In March 2024, Wiig spoke to The Hollywood Reporter concerning the unlikely success of “Bridesmaids,” echoing a few of her sentiments about how individuals did not imagine within the movie — “Individuals get scared. What’s fallacious with having an enormous feminine forged? Why is that scary?” — and likewise stated {that a} sequel is not within the playing cards. “It is by no means been a dialog,” Wiig confirmed. “That story had an finish, and it is so beloved to me for 10 million causes, and I believe it is OK to simply have it exist on this planet as it’s.”
In the event you’re actually jonesing for extra “Bridesmaids,” although, could I make a humble suggestion? In 2020, Wiig and Annie Mumolo launched their second function movie that they co-wrote, “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” and whereas it is a lot weirder than “Bridesmaids,” it is also unbelievable. Ever wished to see Wiig play two characters and Jamie Dornan obsess about being in an “official couple?” Go watch “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” on VOD, and “Bridesmaids” is streaming on Netflix.
