“Pretty Woman” Reunion, $17 Million Payday, And More: 16 “Runaway Bride” Secrets Revealed

Almost a decade after “Pretty Woman” skyrocketed Julia Roberts and Richard Gere to stardom, the A-listers teamed up again for “Runaway Bride” with the same director, Gary Marshall. The rom-com was about a small-town girl terrified of commitment who ran away from the altar three times. While prepping for her fourth marriage, she was followed by a newspaper columnist covering a story, and the two fell in love. The film made even more money than “Pretty Woman.” Most people have seen this famous Hollywood flick, but here are 20 surprising facts you probably don’t know.

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Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in ‘Runaway Bride’, 1999 #runawaybride #juliaroberts #lovescene #richardgere #romanticmovie
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1. Although the roles seemed to be made for Gere and Roberts, many other actors were slated to play the commitment-phobic bride-to-be and jaded journalist. Geena Davis and Harrison Ford were first up, but they also considered Demi Moore, Michael Douglas, Ellen DeGeneres, and Mel Gibson.

2. Although Gere loves the script, he had a condition that Julia Roberts had to be his co-star if he were to take the role. After the two had a phone call, Gere won Roberts over, and a reunion was on the books!

3. Gere and Roberts had to get their “Pretty Woman” director on board, but there was one issue: Marshall agreed to take his wife to Australia for a vacation, and the actors had to speak to the director’s wife to convince her.

4. Thanks to the history and chemistry between the actors, filming “Runaway Bride” was stress-free. Ten years later, the director said that Richard Gere fully embraced his sense of humor more than he did in “Pretty Woman.”

5. After the A-listers were confirmed to star, the film’s budget skyrocketed to $70 million, which was very high for a rom-com at the time. Roberts took home $17 million, and Gere earned $12 million. They brought in an opening weekend total of approximately $35 million, so it was worth it.

6. Although “Runaway Bride” grossed over $300 million worldwide and $150 domestically, the critics didn’t love it, and Richard Gere admitted that it “didn’t have the magic of the first one,” referring to “Pretty Woman” and its success.