At one point in Hollywood, romantic comedies were the "it" genre. High in demand and low in cost, rom-coms dominated the industry in the '90s and early 2000s. Decades later, though rom-com fans haven't gone anywhere, the genre seems to have disappeared from viewers' screens.
Theatrical rom-com releases have been on the decline in the past few years, and the ones that do release just don't feel the same. There's some kind of spark missing compared to films of the past — it's like the romance in rom-coms is gone. Viewers now cling to nostalgia with flicks from the past in hopes that true love exists like in the movies.
Rom-coms as a genre are considered to be mid-budget. The range for a mid-budget film varies, but it is widely considered to be a movie produced for $5 million to $50 million. With Hollywood recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of last year's writers strike, these kinds of films haven't been in demand.
Compared to a relatively safe blockbuster from a franchise like Marvel, they are risky.
With this lack of theatrical releases, the new outlet for rom-coms is streaming services. In 2023 and 2024, Amazon Prime released two rom-coms, "Red, White & Royal Blue" and "The Idea of You," that gained popularity on social media.
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Still, there is a disconnection between audiences and these films because they aren't memorable. They simply don't compare to rom-com greats like "When Harry Met Sally..." or "How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days."
Movies are very telling of the world we live in. The reason rom-coms don't feel the same compared to the past is because dating has changed. With the installment of social media and online dating, love feels calculated. There is no chance, no wonder in romance anymore.
Lauren Cusimano, a faculty associate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, teaches a class on sex, love and romance in the mass media. In her teaching, she has seen the effect online dating has on relationships.
"Decades plus of intense dating app usage — I think that's starting to burn out a lot of users," Cusimano said. "People might start going back to meeting people in bars or restaurants, through friends, or at parties — or in these kinds of in-person interactions, especially in a post-COVID era."
For Ella Smith, a senior studying biochemistry and anthropology, online dating just isn't natural.
"I don't like dating apps, I don't like any of that," Smith said. "I think authentically meeting someone is the best kind of relationship that you can form. And I think that's also why we love rom-coms, especially (from) the 2000s."
Without the added factor of technology, rom-coms from the past feel like a refreshing mix of escapism and nostalgia because the connections they showcase seem so rare now.
Kiersten Lagerhausen, a senior studying biochemistry, admits she wants rom-coms to reflect her desire to meet someone the old-fashioned way.
"I would prefer rom-coms that don't include social media," Lagerhausen said. "I crave meeting somebody in real life, and I think a lot of my friends feel the same way. When I'm watching a movie, I want it to be similar to something that can happen to me."
This online shift in dating culture has impacted the way we view romance, and by that extension, media subjecting the topic.
Rom-coms stand out because of their honesty and application to the world we live in. Yes, there is a level of fantasy, but at the end of the day, all audiences want to see is love persevering.
"The reason rom-coms are special is because they're a combination of comedy and vulnerability," Cusimano said. "That's a rarity, because some people are trying to be too funny and therefore not being vulnerable. Some people are too vulnerable, and then you're in melodrama."
Rom-coms aren't what's being seen on screen today, but who's to say they won't come back? Love is a universal theme and will never go out of style, but dating habits are temporary and change between generations.
Maybe in some far-off future, online dating isn't clung too so dearly and becomes a relic of user's history. For now, though, romantics can cling to productions of the past, longing for a simpler time.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Abigail Beck and Alexis Heichman.
Reach the reporter at jagon128@asu.edu
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Jazlyn is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is her first semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio.
