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Marry Me 2022
Marry Me is a 2022 American romantic comedy drama film featuring Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, and Maluma. The story follows superstar Kat Valdez (Lopez), who makes the impulsive decision to wed Charlie Gilbert (Wilson), a math teacher holding a "Marry Me" sign, after learning that her concert groom, Bastian (Maluma), has been unfaithful. The film was directed by Kat Coiro and adapted from a screenplay written by John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dill. It originates from the 2012 webcomic titled Marry Me created by Bobby Crosby.
The production began in April 2019 when it was announced that Lopez and Wilson would star, with Coiro taking on the director role. Universal Pictures secured the distribution rights to the movie in July 2019. Principal filming occurred in Manhattan during October and November 2019. A soundtrack album titled Marry Me was created by Lopez and Maluma, and its lead track "Pa' Ti" was issued on September 24, 2020. The single climbed to number nine on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, representing Lopez’s highest debut in the United States since 2017.
The film had its premiere in Los Angeles on February 9, 2022 and opened in theaters across the United States simultaneously with a Peacock Premium release on February 11. Originally scheduled for release in February 2021, it was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Critics responded positively to the film, which earned $56.5 million against a budget of $23 million. On streaming platforms, Marry Me became the most-watched day-and-date title on Peacock.
Kat Valdez, a prominent figure in Latin culture with four failed marriages behind her, finds herself at the center of attention when her song "Marry Me", performed with fiancé Bastian, becomes a global hit. The couple plans to wed during a live performance broadcasted to an online audience at one of Kat’s concerts. Charlie Gilbert, a divorced math teacher, struggles to connect with his 12-year-old daughter Lou and his friend Parker, who pressures him into attending the concert with Lou and carrying a "Marry Me" sign.
As Kat prepares to enter the wedding ceremony, a celebrity gossip site reveals a video showing Bastian’s affair with his assistant Tyra. Kat's manager shows her the footage, confirming the situation. Unfazed, Kat spots Charlie in the audience with Parker's "Marry Me" sign. In front of the entire venue, she chooses to marry him instead.
Charlie hesitates before stepping onto the stage and officially ties the knot with Kat in front of millions of viewers. After the event, Kat refuses to speak with Tyra and argues with Bastian before leaving with Charlie. The pair remain distant and polite before Kat returns home heartbroken.
The next day, facing media scrutiny and concerns about her mental state, Kat decides to stay married to Charlie for a few months in order to manage public perception. He agrees reluctantly, not wanting to disrupt either of their lives. Charlie endures media appearances, although he remains uncomfortable with the attention.
Eventually, they begin to develop feelings for one another while spending time away from media and management. Kat learns about Charlie’s family life, especially Lou’s stage fright. Charlie invites Kat to a school dance as a date, which she accepts. That evening, they share their first kiss and sleep together, marking the beginning of a genuine romantic relationship. Kat helps Lou with her anxiety, teaching her to dance as a way to manage her fears. Meanwhile, Charlie supports his students and helps prepare his math team for a competition.
Bastian reappears to announce that "Marry Me" has been nominated for a Grammy, Kat’s first nomination in years. Charlie is uneasy about the idea of working with Bastian again, but Kat insists their relationship is over. Despite this, Charlie becomes uncertain if he can match Bastian and fit into Kat's world. Believing their marriage was never real, he breaks up with her.
Kat composes a new love song, "On My Way", which surpasses the success of "Marry Me". During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Bastian, Kat realizes it is the night before the mathalon, where she promised to support Lou and Charlie. She clears up rumors that she and Bastian are reuniting, clarifying that she wrote "On My Way" for Charlie rather than Bastian, then leaves the show abruptly.
Kat hurries to find Charlie who is helping Lou overcome her stage fright using a dance routine Kat taught her. Kat holds up a sign asking Charlie to marry her again, and he agrees. Together with their dog, Charlie and Kat form a happy family. His relationship with Lou improves significantly. The film ends with a series of vignettes showing how various couples met.
The cast includes Jennifer Lopez as Katalina "Kat" Valdez, Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert, Maluma as Bastian, John Bradley as Colin, Chloe Coleman as Lou Gilbert, Sarah Silverman as Parker, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Coach Manny, Michelle Buteau as Melissa, and Jameela Jamil as Anikah. Additionally, Today host Hoda Kotb and The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon make cameo appearances as themselves.
In April 2019, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson would star in the romantic comedy film Marry Me. Kat Coiro was set to direct from a screenplay by John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dill, based on the webcomic of the same name by Bobby Crosby, with STX Entertainment handling distribution. In July 2019, it was revealed that Universal Pictures would take over as distributor instead of STX. Later that month, Sarah Silverman, John Bradley, and Maluma joined the cast. Michelle Buteau, Jameela Jamil, and Chloe Coleman were added in October. Principal photography started in New York City in October 2019 and wrapped up on November 22.
The film had its world premiere in Los Angeles on February 9, 2022. It was released in theaters on February 11, 2022, distributed by Universal Pictures. Initially scheduled for February 12, 2021, the release was delayed to May 14, 2021 due to the pandemic, then shifted again to February 11, 2022 after further scheduling changes. The same day, it became available for streaming on Peacock. Universal invested $15 million in television commercials promoting the film before its theatrical debut. According to RelishMix analytics, the movie generated 546.5 million interactions across social media, exceeding other musical films such as West Side Story with 211.8 million, The Greatest Showman at 313.2 million, and Bohemian Rhapsody at 242.1 million.
Marry Me became available on digital platforms and Amazon Prime Video on March 13, 2022, followed by Blu-ray and DVD releases on March 29, 2022, handled by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Box office performance saw Marry Me collect $22.5million in the United States and Canada, with $28.0million from international markets for a global total of $50.5million. The film had a production budget of $23million. Audience response through CinemaScore gave it a B+ rating, while PostTrak reported an 80% positive score, with 66% recommending the movie.
In North America, Marry Me opened alongside Death on the Nile and Blacklight. Industry estimates projected $6–11 million from 3,642 theaters in its opening weekend. It ultimately earned $7.9million, placing third behind Death on the Nile and Jackass Forever. On Valentine’s Day, it topped the box office with $3million, becoming the first romantic comedy to lead the holiday since About Last Night in 2014. In its second weekend, it ranked third with $3.7million, sixth in its third, with $1.9million, and then dropped to 1,211 theaters in its fourth weekend, exiting the top ten after earning $0.6million.
Internationally, the film opened with $16.5million from 65 markets. It earned $5.2million in its second week, $2.7million in its third, and $1.1million in its fourth from 67 markets.
Audience viewership included Marry Me becoming the most-streamed day-and-date film on Peacock according to Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts. In April 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported over six million Peacock accounts had streamed the movie. By June 2022, it also became popular on Amazon Prime, staying at number one for approximately 2 weeks.
Critical reception received a Metacritic score of 51 out of 100 based on 46 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" feedback. Angie Han from The Hollywood Reporter stated: “Those hoping the film might push the genre to its most extravagant limits may be surprised at how (relatively) low-key their love story ends up being. But sometimes that's the most pleasurable kind of fairy tale — one so close to convincing, you can forget for a spell that it's all just a dream.” Owen Gleiberman of Variety commented: “The bar for rom-coms is not high, and this one, ludicrous as it often is, inches over the bar. But I would no more call it a good movie than I'd pretend fast food is high in nutrients.”
Trailer
Plays from YouTube only after you click.
Cast
- Jennifer LopezKatalina "Kat" Valdez
- Owen WilsonCharlie Gilbert
- MalumaBastian
- John BradleyColin
- Chloe ColemanLou Gilbert
- Sarah SilvermanParker
- Utkarsh AmbudkarCoach Manny
- Michelle ButeauMelissa
- Jameela JamilAnikah
Crew
- Director
- Kat Coiro
- Screenplay
- John Rogers, Tami Sagher, Harper Dill
- Producer
- Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Jennifer Lopez, Benny Medina, John Rogers
- Cinematography
- Florian Ballhaus
- Editing
- Michael Berenbaum, Peter Teschner
- Music
- John Debney
Details
- Production
- Kung Fu Monkey Productions, Nuyorican Productions, Perfect World Pictures
- Distributor
- Universal Pictures
- Budget
- $23 million
- Box office
- $56.5 million
