Michael Showalter’s ‘The Idea Of You’ On Track For Amazon MGM’s Biggest Rom-Com Debut

Michael Showalter’s The Idea of You, starring Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway, is on track to command Amazon MGM Studios‘ biggest ever debut for a rom-com with nearly 50 million viewers globally in its first two weeks on Prime Video.

Amazon declined to comment on the metric used to arrive at this number. But Mike Hopkins, Worldwide Head of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, made the announcement on stage during the studio’s inaugural Upfronts presentation on Tuesday.

“The extraordinary reception of The Idea of You has been thrilling—even leading up to the release, with its record-breaking trailer views to its chart-topping soundtrack,” said Julie Rapaport, Head of Film, Production and Development at Amazon MGM Studios. “And now, audiences have truly fallen for this film, and we could not be prouder of our stars Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, the brilliant vision of Michael Showalter, and the rest of the enormously talented cast and filmmaking team who made this such a smashing success.”

Based on the bestselling novel by Robinne Lee, The Idea of You centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) — the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet — while at Coachella with her daughter. Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt penned the screenplay, with Cathy Schulman, Gabrielle Union, Hathaway, Lee, Eric Hayes, Showalter and Jordana Mollick producing.

Premiering as the closing night film of SXSW 2024, pic secured the most-watched trailer of any Amazon original streaming feature ahead of its debut, with more than 125 million views. Ahead of the film’s release, Amazon MGM Studios conducted 142 word-of-mouth screenings globally, also hosting an “international rom-com tour”” in New York to famous locations from classic romantic comedies that are all available to watch on Prime Video, such as the diner from When Harry Met Sally and the Empire State Building from Sleepless in Seattle.