More than two decades after its release, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days continues to be a lucrative investment for Matthew McConaughey.
The actor has revealed that the beloved 2003 romantic comedy earns him more in residuals than any other film in his career, describing it as the “gift that keeps on giving”.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, McConaughey said the film remains his highest earner when it comes to what he called “mailbox money”, with its popularity around Valentine’s Day contributing to the regular payments.
“When it used to be just DVDs or cable, every March I’d get a big check because Valentine’s Day,” the actor explained. He did not reveal exactly how much he receives, but stressed that it is his highest residual income “by far”.
Directed by Donald Petrie, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days stars McConaughey as advertising executive Benjamin Barry, who makes a bet that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days. His plan becomes complicated when he meets Kate Hudson’s Andie Anderson, a journalist secretly writing an article about how to drive a man away.
The film has remained a staple of the romantic comedy genre more than 20 years after its theatrical release, with McConaughey acknowledging its enduring cultural appeal.
“For that genre, let me just own that genre,” he said, calling the film “a real anchor in the romcom genre through time”.
His comments also highlight the changing nature of film residuals. Once largely associated with television reruns, physical media and cable broadcasts, residual payments have become a major talking point in Hollywood, particularly following the actors’ and writers’ strikes of 2023.
For McConaughey, however, the continued popularity of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days means that the 2003 romcom is still proving to be one of the most rewarding films of his career.
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