A rom-com is shockingly HBO Max’s biggest streaming debut ever
This one just came out and set a new record on the streaming service
It’s been a while since a romantic comedy was a smash hit — the last 10 years have produced a dearth of films fit for Meg Ryan. Long live the ‘90s — until now, that is. Over Father’s Day weekend, the timely release of a new “Father of the Bride,” starring Andy García and Gloria Estefan, debuted on HBO Max and immediately became the streaming service’s No. 1 film debut.
The rom-com took the top spot around the world on Sunday after its release on Thursday, June 16. The U.S. had the most views of any country, but “Father of the Bride” also ranked among the top 10 most-watched titles in Mexico, which came in with the second-most views of any country.
This isn’t the original “Father of the Bride,” of course — that happened way back in 1991 (yes, all the way back then), and starred Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and Kimberly Williams in her first role. Like the older version, the 2022 release is based on the eponymous 1949 novel — but this time around it features a Miami-based, Cuban-American family with García’s and Estefan’s characters on the brink of a divorce.
Par for the “Father of the Bride” course, there’s a lot more drama than a divorce going on: There are disagreements between the father and engaged couple about what kind of wedding it will be (big and traditionally Cuban, versus something a little smaller), the wedding dress (a fashion-designer sister is pitted against the wedding planner’s wishes), and lots of pride-fueled disgruntlement between García’s character and the (very wealthy) father of the groom.
Of course, that’s not all there is — a lot goes wrong getting from engagement to the aisle, including storms threatening the wedding. But like the rom-coms we’ve so dearly missed, there are lots of family moments, love, and laughter in it too.
Check the film out on HBO Max to get in on a little rom-com action (and have something fun to Slack with your colleagues at work about).
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