Why Kristen Wiig Was Certain This Raunchy Box Office Hit Was A Total Dud

Honestly, for my money, Bridesmaids has to be one of the funniest American comedies ever made. Like, seriously — it’s comedy gold. We’ve got Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo to thank for that magic, along with the legend Paul Feig behind the camera.

But here’s the wild part — Kristen Wiig, yeah the “Saturday Night Live” icon, actually thought Bridesmaids was a total flop at first. Crazy, right? She figured it bombed just because the opening weekend numbers weren’t that great.

Looking back now, it’s funny how Bridesmaids ended up becoming a massive hit, not just in Hollywood but also on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. It’s still one of those go-to comfort comedies that people binge when they need a laugh.

So get this — Bridesmaids actually opened second at the box office, right behind the first Thor movie. Not bad company, huh? It pulled in around $26 million during its opening weekend, which might not sound like a blockbuster number at first glance, especially with a budget of about $32.5 million.

But here’s where it gets cool — word of mouth totally saved the day. People couldn’t stop talking about it, sharing clips, quoting lines, and before anyone knew it, Bridesmaids exploded. By the end, it made a massive $288 million worldwide. Yeah, that’s nearly 10 times what it cost to make. That’s wild!

And get this — it even became the highest-grossing film produced by Judd Apatow, beating out his 2007 hit Knocked Up. Beyond the money, Bridesmaids also scored Oscar nominations, including one for Best Original Screenplay (Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo totally crushed it) and Best Supporting Actress for Melissa McCarthy, who literally became one of Hollywood’s biggest comedy stars after that.

So why on earth did Kristen Wiig think Bridesmaids was a flop? Turns out, she really believed it bombed. While chatting with her Saturday Night Live buddy Amy Poehler on the “Good Hang” podcast, Wiig spilled the tea — the studio, Universal Pictures, didn’t exactly seem thrilled after the movie’s first weekend.

She said, totally deadpan, “After opening weekend, they were like, ‘Well, we tried.’” Like… ouch. Imagine thinking your movie tanked, and then it goes on to become one of the biggest comedy hits in Hollywood. That’s wild.

Funny how studios sometimes miss the magic, huh? Especially when Bridesmaids went on to make history in the box office, score Oscar nominations, and turn Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy into household names.

Wait, what?! Yeah, you heard that right. Kristen Wiig said the studio actually thought Bridesmaids was done for after its opening weekend. Apparently, Universal Pictures believed those first few days were the make-or-break moment for the movie.

Luckily, the audience had other plans. Wiig explained that the film started picking up major traction through word of mouth — people were loving it, talking about it, and dragging their friends to see it. She said, “More and more people kept seeing it, and then things kind of happened later.” Basically, Bridesmaids became a total slow-burn hit.

And of course, since it’s Kristen Wiig, she couldn’t resist sneaking in a cheeky joke. With that classic deadpan humor, she added, “It was a grower.” Absolute perfection.

The director of Bridesmaids was also worried the blockbuster comedy would bomb at the box office

Director Paul Feig — the genius who later teamed up with Melissa McCarthy on hits like The Heat, Spy, and the all-female Ghostbusters reboot — was just as nervous as Kristen Wiig about how Bridesmaids would do. Turns out, the pressure was huge.

During a SXSW panel in March 2025 (yep, recently!), Feig shared that tons of female writers he knew were pitching female-led comedies around that time. But studios kept hitting them with the same line — “We have to wait and see how Bridesmaids does.” Imagine that kind of weight on your shoulders.

Feig said he was freaking out, thinking, “F**! Don’t put that on me. Am I gonna ruin movies for women?”* That’s real pressure right there. Then he pointed out the obvious double standard, joking, “I don’t think with The Hangover they said, ‘Let’s wait and see how all these dudes do before we make another one.’”

Thankfully, Bridesmaids crushed it — proving that female-driven comedies can absolutely dominate at the box office and win over audiences everywhere.

Still, as Paul Feig explained — backing up Kristen Wiig’s own story — the studio really didn’t have high hopes for Bridesmaids. They were super skeptical about a movie centered on a woman, Annie Walker (played by Wiig), spiraling into jealousy and chaos while being a bridesmaid for her best friend Lillian Donovan (Maya Rudolph).

Feig said the vibe at the studio was basically doom and gloom. “Right till the day we came out, we were predicted to not do well,” he recalled. “We were told, ‘You have to make $20 million on opening weekend, or you will be considered a failure.’”

Wild, right? Imagine having that kind of pressure before your film even hits theaters. And yet, Bridesmaids didn’t just prove them wrong — it went on to become one of the most successful female-led comedies in Hollywood history, paving the way for more women-driven projects in both film and streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video.

To make things even worse, Paul Feig said there was this last-minute, late-night screening right before the big release — and it totally tanked. “We did a midnight screening the night before that didn’t go well,” Feig shared. The studio’s reaction? Brutal. “They were like, ‘It’s gonna be $13 million. Sorry, it’s a bomb.’”

Feig said he spent the whole day thinking, “I guess I destroyed comedy for women.” Like… talk about pressure! But of course, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Bridesmaids went on to be a massive hit, shattering box office predictions and becoming a Hollywood game-changer for female-driven comedies.

What’s funny is how a movie once labeled a “risk” ended up proving that audiences crave stories led by women — messy, hilarious, real women. And Feig? Yeah, he didn’t destroy comedy for women. He helped redefine it.

Bridesmaids was an enormous success

Bridesmaids has turned into one of those rare Hollywood success stories that just gets better with time. Since dropping in 2011, it’s become a straight-up comedy classic — the kind of movie you can watch a hundred times and still laugh your face off.

A lot of that magic comes from Kristen Wiig’s wild yet totally relatable performance as Annie. That airplane scene? Iconic. One of the most quoted moments in comedy history, hands down. Add in Rose Byrne as the perfectly polished (and secretly competitive) Helen Harris III, plus Melissa McCarthy absolutely stealing the show as Megan — the groom’s unfiltered, chaotic, but weirdly wise sister — and you’ve got gold.

Nope — according to Kristen Wiig, a Bridesmaids sequel isn’t happening. And honestly? That might be for the best.

In a March 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wiig got real about the movie’s surprising success and how people originally doubted it. She said, “People get scared. What’s wrong with having a big female cast? Why is that scary?” — and yeah, she’s got a point. Hollywood still gets weird about female-led comedies, even after Bridesmaids proved how powerful they can be.

As for Bridesmaids 2, Wiig shut it down pretty clearly: “It’s never been a conversation,” she said. “That story had an end, and it’s so beloved to me for 10 million reasons, and I think it’s OK to just have it exist in the world as it is.”

And honestly, respect. Some movies don’t need a sequel — they’re perfect just the way they are. Bridesmaids gave us iconic characters, hilarious moments, and one of the best modern comedies ever. Sometimes, that’s enough.

If you’re seriously craving more Bridesmaids energy, I’ve got you covered. In 2020, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo dropped their second co-written gem — Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. And let me tell you, it’s absolutely bonkers… in the best way possible.

It’s definitely weirder than Bridesmaids, but it’s got that same heart, friendship, and laugh-until-you-cry kind of comedy. Plus, you get Kristen Wiig pulling double duty as two characters, and Jamie Dornan (yep, Mr. Fifty Shades himself) doing a musical number about wanting to be in an “official couple.” It’s pure chaotic brilliance.

So yeah, if you miss the Bridesmaids vibe — that mix of ridiculous humor and big-hearted moments — go stream Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar on VOD. And don’t worry, Bridesmaids is still streaming on Netflix, so you can relive every laugh whenever you want.