Bob's Burgers has remained a popular adult animated sitcom ever since the series debuted in 2011, maintaining a strong fanbase for over a decade. This finally culminated in The Bob's Burgers Movie, the series' 2022 theatrical fun on a bun. Audiences and critics loved the movie, earning it good reviews from fans and non-fans alike. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to save the Belcher family from getting their buns handed to them at the box office.
The Bob's Burgers Movie was a flop, earning about $4 million less than its admittedly rather paltry $38 million budget. There are several factors as to why the movie's financial patties were undercooked, and with the success of other movies and the immense boom at this year's box office, the pandemic can no longer really be used as an excuse. Here's why the trip to the theater didn't net as much money as The Bob's Burgers Movie would've wanted.
The Bob's Burgers Movie Had Stiff Competition From Top Gun & Jurassic World
It's inarguable that Top Gun: Maverick is the absolute box office king this summer and likely for this year as a whole. The long-awaited sequel has received rave reviews and even more success when it comes to monetary gain. Its premise was also so universal that everyone went out to see it, regardless of whether they had even seen the original from the 1980s. Another big nostalgia draw was Jurassic World Dominion, which put a Giganotosaurus-sized cap on the franchise that started almost three decades ago.
With these movies coming out around the same time, it was hard for The Bob's Burgers Movie to get much room for air. That's especially the case with how much of an unexpected smash hit Top Gun turned out to be, with the film's continued domination being the talk of the movie industry for the past few months. When compared to something that was both sizzle and steak, Bob Belcher and his burgers looked rather measly by comparison.
The Bob's Burgers Movie Felt Like an Extended Episode
For as great as The Bob's Burgers Movie was, there was one common complaint among even the series' most diehard fans. Many felt that the movie had more of an aura of an extended episode or multi-episode storyline, with the movie's musical elements being the only thing truly "cinematic" about the experience. The animation quality and general tone don't give off the vibe of a theatrical upgrade befitting a movie, making some question why it simply wasn't made into part of the show.
A direct point of comparison would be The Simpsons Movie, which actually came out long after the show had gone past its prime. Despite this, the movie was lauded by new and old fans for feeling like an event, coming off as "big time" compared to the production quality of the show. Since The Bob's Burgers Movie lacks this event quality, there was less of a reason to see it on the big screen. That's likely why it ended up moving to streaming platforms so soon.
Bob's Burgers Was Never a Cultural Juggernaut
Ever since it debuted, Bob's Burgers has continued to receive good reviews and appreciation from audiences. At the same time, it's always been more of a niche series when stacked up against the other Fox animated adult sitcoms. It lacked the undeniable pop culture ubiquity of The Simpsons and Family Guy, also failing to achieve the fanbase that King of the Hill did through its more sophisticated, wry humor. Much of this stems from how uniquely deadpan yet over the top the comedy usually is in Bob's Burgers, with its brand of jokes on full throttle in the movie.
Truth be told, Bob's Burgers' fanbase has actually declined over the years, meaning that the movie didn't even release at the series' peak. These factors all came together to form a perfect storm for The Bob's Burgers Movie, damning the film to box office disappointment. The movie is currently streaming on HBO Max and Hulu, where it will hopefully gain the viewers that it didn't get in the theaters.