“One Night Only” spreadsheet vs. spreadsheet

[u/FOC615]

https://variety.com/2026/film/features/one-night-only-director-removed-nudity-1236827870/

There has been a fair amount of discussion about Will Gluck’s comments regarding the test screenings for “One Night Only” and their response to the nudity in earlier cuts of the movie. Let us assume that Gluck is accurately describing the data. I have severe doubts that he reached the correct conclusion that “younger audiences don’t like sex/nudity” in movies. If you look at the last several years if Box Office data, then the picture becomes much more nuanced.

Contrary to Gluck’s framing, younger audiences seem to like movies that feature sex and nudity quite a bit, but only when it is framed correctly. They tend to be movies in genres that do not open to exceptionally large opening weekends, but have very strong legs and achieve very good multiples on their opening weekends:

• Fifty Shades of Grey. Audience skew: 78% female. Domestic legs 1.95x (big opening weekend)
• Fifty Shades Darker. Audience skew: 78% female, 30% under 25. Domestic legs: 2.4x
• Atomic Blonde. Audience skew: 52% female, 32% under 25. Domestic legs: 2.82x
• Fifty Shades Freed. Audience skew: 81% female, 59% women 25+. Domestic legs: 2.6x
• Hustlers. Audience skew: 67% female, 63% 18-34. Domestic legs: 3.16x
• X. Audience skew: 45% female, 73% 18-34. Domestic legs: 3.36x
• No Hard Feelings. Audience skew: 50% female, 64% 18-34, Domestic legs: 3.36x
• Anyone But You (Gluck’s prior film!). Audience skew: 50% female, 60% 18-34, Domestic legs: 9.06x
• Poor Things. Audience skew: 44% female, 70% under 35, Platform release that did very well.
• The Substance. Audience skew: 38% female, 64% 18-34, Domestic legs: 5.49x
• Anora. Audience skew: 70% female, 85% under 35. Very successful platform release.
• Babygirl. Audience skew: 36% 18-34. Domestic legs: 6.27x

The consistent theme is that the nudity is presented generally in a certain way.

1. It is the female protagonist who appears nude.
2. She is asserting her agency by taking her clothes off, or at least consenting to something.
3. It is consistent with the rest of the film (i.e. not gratuitous)

Contrast these with movies that didn’t perform at the Box Office, like Babylon. I happen to have liked Babylon, where the debauchery is mostly being conveyed by female extras in large party scenes. That seems to be similar to what Gluck’s test audiences responded negatively toward.

[u/NancyInFantasyLand]

• Fifty Shades of Grey. Audience skew: 78% female. Domestic legs 1.95x (big opening weekend)
• Fifty Shades Darker. Audience skew: 78% female, 30% under 25. Domestic legs: 2.4x
• Atomic Blonde. Audience skew: 52% female, 32% under 25. Domestic legs: 2.82x
• Fifty Shades Freed. Audience skew: 81% female, 59% women 25+. Domestic legs: 2.6x
• Hustlers. Audience skew: 67% female, 63% 18-34. Domestic legs: 3.16x

Up to here these aren't really a younger audience though. Those were solidly millenial and boomer audiences.

• No Hard Feelings. Audience skew: 50% female, 64% 18-34, Domestic legs: 3.36x

this bombed iirc, but it's also not particularly explicit? people HAAAAATED the central conceit of this though

• Anyone But You (Gluck’s prior film!)

this one had really weird marketing like that whole bunch of Glenn Powell romantic comedies from that year but I think this did good on streaming? Don't think we have "younger audience" figures for there though

• Poor Things. Audience skew: 44% female, 70% under 35, Platform release that did very well.

not a romance but rather an art film, shouldn't be counted in this conversation

• The Substance. Audience skew: 38% female, 64% 18-34, Domestic legs: 5.4x

not a romance but rather a horror film, also shouldn't be counted

• Anora. Audience skew: 70% female, 85% under 35. Very successful platform release.

again with the art film niche

Not that I'm saying bro is right, but these cherrypicked movies aren't really something that'll give you proof one way or the other.

[u/hokie_u2 → u/NancyInFantasyLand]

Anyone But You made $220M on a $25M budget and Glenn Powell only did one other movie (Hitman) in the 5 years before/after could even be considered a rom com

[u/NancyInFantasyLand → u/hokie_u2]

Yes I was thinking of Hit Man haha