The success of Netflix’s current top movies, People We Meet on Vacation and Me Before You, speaks to a greater lesson Hollywood needs to learn about the romance genre. Besides being romances, both films also star Hunger Games actors — Tom Blyth in People We Meet on Vacation and Sam Claflin in Me Before You, and are based on bestselling novels by Emily Henry and Jojo Moyes, respectively.
However, in tone, the movies couldn’t be more different. While People We Meet on Vacation is a breezy feel-good rom-com, Me Before You is an emotional tearjerker. Still, it’s no coincidence that two romance movies are Netflix’s heaviest hitters right now, and it’s high time that the powers that be in Tinsel Town pay attention.
People We Meet On Vacation & Me Before You Are Netflix’s Top 2 Movies
Netflix audiences can’t get enough of People We Meet on Vacation and Me Before You, and as of this writing, they are respectively No. 1 and No. 2 on Netflix’s list of top 10 movies in the world (via Flix Patrol). The trending success of People We Meet on Vacation is hardly a surprise, given its recent January 9 premiere date, but there’s more to it than that.
People We Meet on Vacation is a friends-to-lovers romance about two best buddies, the free-spirited Poppy (Emily Bader) and the straitlaced Alex (Tom Blyth), whose yearly summer travel tradition is disrupted when they can no longer deny their feelings for each other. Beyond the appealing premise, People We Meet on Vacation is the first adaptation by the BookTok sensation author, Emily Henry, who was a crucial part of the film’s marketing.
However, Me Before You earning the No. 2 spot on Netflix’s top 10 is more curious. The story of caregiver Lou (Emilia Clarke) opening the heart of her wealthy client Will (Sam Claflin), who’s paralyzed and plans to end his life via assisted suicide, was released almost 10 whole years ago, in June 2016. Granted, while it’s not a new film, it is new to the streaming platform for many countries, arriving on January 1.
Still, Netflix also welcomed several other Hollywood movies on the same day, so this speaks to how beloved Me Before You still is. While the film is not available on Netflix US — American audiences can stream it on MGM+ — when Me Before You made its US Prime Video debut this time last year, it also shot to the top of the streamer’s list. Romance is definitely in the air in the streaming landscape.
Hollywood Needs To Bring Romance Back Into Movie Theaters
With People We Meet on Vacation and Me Before You’s massive Netflix success, despite being released a decade apart and being on opposite ends of the romance spectrum, this is a huge message to Hollywood that romance movies belong in theaters.
As more and more films are premiering on streaming sites, as opposed to having a traditional theatrical release, it seems like romance movies have been barred from the big screen altogether, with many of the most recent popular titles in the genre arriving on Netflix or another platform.
Romance films may not have the big-budget spectacle of an MCU offering or the latest in a blockbuster action franchise, but going to the movies is about so much more than massive explosions and high-octane car chases; it’s about having a communal experience. It feels good to laugh at a hilarious scene in a room full of other people, or share in the delight of a long-awaited first kiss or a gesture of romantic longing — Mr. Darcy’s hand flex in Pride & Prejudice, anyone?
As romance fans, we’re missing that when we’re confined to watching these movies alone on our couches. While the current state of the box office may be dire, there is evidence that romance movies perform well in cinemas. 2023’s Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney enemies-to-lovers rom-com, Anyone But You, was a huge success, raking in over $220 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo).
Like People We Meet on Vacation, Anyone But You is also a vacation romance, as it takes place at a destination wedding. Combine these gorgeous visuals with Emily Henry’s popularity, and there’s every chance that People We Meet on Vacation could have been a theatrical success had it been given the chance.
Me Before You was also a big hit, grossing over $208 million globally (via Box Office Mojo). Again, that was 10 years ago, and Hollywood has changed exponentially since then, but at the same time, it’s hardly a coincidence that Me Before You conquers the top 10 list of just about every streaming platform it lands on, proving that there is still a huge appetite for romance movies like it.
There’s Still Hope For Future Emily Henry Adaptations
People We Meet on Vacation may not have been granted the big-screen release it deserved, but perhaps it can serve as a lesson for other future Emily Henry adaptations, of which there are several. Netflix will also be adapting two other Henry books, Happy Place and Funny Story.
Happy Place is a second-chance romance between Harriet and Wyn, a pair of exes who pretend to still be together for the sake of one last summer hurrah with their friends at a Maine beach house. Initially conceived as a TV series, Happy Place will now be adapted as a film, with Jennifer Lopez’s company, Nuyorican, producing.
Meanwhile, Funny Story also embraces the fake-dating trope, as it sees children’s librarian Daphne pretend to date the laidback Miles after their partners leave them for each other. Neither film has a cast announced.
Besides the Netflix adaptations, People We Meet on Vacation screenwriter Yulin Kuang will also be writing and directing the adaptation of Henry’s debut novel, Beach Read. Beach Read is a rivals-to-lovers story about romance writer January and literary heavyweight Everett, who find themselves falling for each other when they happen to be staying at neighboring beach houses on Lake Michigan.
Finally, Henry’s enemies-to-lovers story Book Lovers, which finds literary agent Nora unable to shake snooty book editor Charlie after discovering that he’s from the small town she happens to be vacationing in, is also set for adaptation. Production company Tango has secured the rights to Book Lovers, with Girls writer Sarah Heyward set to pen the script.
Though Netflix is likely to release Happy Place and Funny Story directly onto their platform as they did with People We Meet on Vacation, the other upcoming adaptations would do well to examine the 2026 movie’s success. There’s a market for these movies, and romance fans deserve to see their favorite stories on the big screen.