The media dubbed the 2024 slugfest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris as the “podcast election.”
And we all know how that turned out.
Podcasters like Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz, Tim Dillon and Theo Von invited either President Trump or Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance on their shows. That gave them access to a young, mostly male audience that could hear their points of view without the liberal media filter.
And, many argued, that helped Trump seal the deal. Meanwhile, Harris famously turned down a Rogan invite and opted for a chat with “Call Her Daddy,” essentially speaking to the candidate’s already locked-in voter base.
Now, two comedy podcasters are testing the limits of their reach.
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David Spade of “Fly on the Wall” fame and “This Past Weekend’s” Theo Von teamed for the new indie comedy “Busboys.” The two play dumber than dumb types who aspire to be servers in a dog-eat-dog world.
To reach that higher level, they’ll have to prove their worth as, you guessed it, busboys.
The duo wrote, produced and starred in the film, going around the Hollywood gatekeepers in the process. It’s a truly independent feature despite Spade’s sizable ties to Hollywood, Inc.
That’s not all.
“Busboys” has other podcasters stars in the cast, including Tim Dillon, Bobby Lee and Trevor Wallace. Plus, the story and approach appeal to anyone who longs for the old-school, R-rated comedies of yore. By all accounts, it’s unapologetically dumb and crass, a thumb-in-the-eye to the social justice scolds.
It’s the kind of comedy the woke mind virus all abut silenced in recent years.
So how did that work out?
“Busboys” got virtually ignored by film critics. Only three reviews have been filed at Rotten Tomatoes, including two extremely negative critiques. The general audience score is far better, hovering around 71 percent “fresh,” but hardly stellar.
The box office results are more troubling.
The film earned $1.6 million in 800 theaters, good for a ninth-place finish. For context, most mainstream movies debut on anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000+ screens.
It’s not for a lack of new media marketing. Sure, the film didn’t have a big studio behind it, but the stars have been working the podcast circuit to spread the word. That includes Von’s YouTube channel (4.5M followers), Spades’ “Fly on the Wall” (nearly 300K) and guest appearances elsewhere.
The film’s microscopic budget (Spade said under $3.5 million) and lack of a sizable ad campaign mean “Busboys” could turn a profit.
That’s good news for Spade and Von, but the film’s tepid launch suggests a small appetite for what they created. More troubling? Their access to some of podcasting’s most potent microphones didn’t make the film a “must-see” event.
The rest is up to old-school “word-of-mouth” marketing. If that 71 percent group tells their friends to check out “Busboys,” the film might have some legs.
If not, we’re learning that the power of the podcast may have been overstated.
Are you eager to see “Busboys” … and why?
