Let’s do a quick recap of the movie, a look at how this thing came together, and how it solidified the massive genre that is rom-com. It’s also a love letter to New York, made Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal even bigger stars, and features a lot of the brilliant improvising of Crystal which also helped to shape the film. When Harry Met Sally was a massive critical and commercial hit when it came out in 1989, and the rom-coms you still watch to this day continue to borrow from its perfect execution. It’s a collaborative effort between the great Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner and almost serves as a biographical film as much of the movie’s content comes from their real lives. It’s not that rom-coms weren’t a thing before 1989, it’s just that When Harry Met Sally perfected the model. Financially, rom-coms are often the better bet. When you break the stats down per movie, rom-coms make an average of about $15 million each, whereas a drama averages just $6.5 million per film. Dramas have generated around $35 billion, but that’s based on over 5,400 movies. And most notably: this is based on only 625 films. That may seem lower down the list, but as of 2021, this genre has made over $10 billion. Romantic comedies are the seventh highest-grossing film genre. It’s the reason studios will always turn to the Rom-Com: they’re inexpensive to make, have a quick turnaround time, and always make money. This film genre has also become very lucrative.
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY CAST TV
The film became a massive hit and would go on to influence countless other movies and TV shows. When Harry Met Sally is the story of whether it’s possible for men and women to just be friends. Like them or not, the romantic comedy genre is a powerful one and all modern rom-coms can trace their roots back to one film: When Harry Met Sally.