When Julia Roberts and Richard Gere paired up for Pretty Woman in 1990, they created one of the most iconic romantic comedies of all time. Nine years later, the duo reunited for a second collaboration that, while never escaping the comparisons to the earlier blockbuster, became a box office success in its own right.
Runaway Bride, the 1999 Gary Marshall film, grossed $309.5 million worldwide after its theatrical run, on a reported $70 million budget. Runaway Bride has now resurfaced as a streaming hit, landing at No. 10 on Peacock’s Top 10 Movies chart on June 14, 27 years since its release. The film’s return to the mainstream is a reminder that the Julia Roberts-Richard Gere pairing remains a draw even decades later, especially when critics never fully embraced it the way they did Pretty Woman.
Runaway Bride Is Very Different From Pretty Woman
The ’90s rom-com follows Maggie Carpenter, a spirited young woman who has left a trail of fiancés at the altar, earning tabloid fame and the nickname “the Runaway Bride.” In New York, columnist Ike Graham writes an article about her that’s riddled with factual errors, sourced from one of Maggie’s former fiancés.
After Ike is fired for failing to verify his story, he’s given a chance to redeem his career by writing an in-depth profile of Maggie instead, sending him to her small town and setting up the inevitable clash and eventual romance between the journalist and his subject. The film also starred John Cusack, Hector Elizondo, and Rita Wilson in supporting roles.
A Reunion That Audiences Can’t Resist
The appeal of Runaway Bride was never really a mystery. It gave audiences exactly what they had been asking for since 1990 — Julia Roberts and Richard Gere back on the silver screen, and in the same kind of effortless romcom dynamic that made Pretty Woman a phenomenon. The film opened to $35.1 million in its first weekend alone, debuting at No. 1 in theaters, proving that this dynamic duo were enough to bring audiences in, regardless of reviews.
That same dynamic appears to be playing out again on streaming. For years, the film had largely disappeared from pop culture conversation, only resurfacing thanks to its presence on platforms like Netflix and Peacock. Its arrival on Peacock’s charts now suggests a similar pattern, where comfort watches and comfort pairings seem to win, even nearly three decades on.
For audiences who love Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride offers more Gere and Roberts, with the same chemistry that they had in the earlier iconic film, even if the latter got a slightly disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score of 45% from critics and 52% from the audience.
Pretty Woman is available to stream on Peacock.
Runaway Bride
- Release Date
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July 30, 1999
- Director
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Garry Marshall
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Julia Roberts
Maggie Carpenter
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Joan Cusack
Peggy Flemming
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