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Filmmaker Kevin James went viral for a stealth marketing campaign that saw him posting on social media for months in character as the protagonist of his newest movie, and the success of the film could indicate that the strategy paid off.
James' new romantic comedy, "Solo Mio," is rated 7.6 out of 10 on IMDb. Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, which reflects critical reception, places the movie at 78%, making it James' highest-rated movie on the site. The platform's audience-driven Popcornmeter comes in at 96%.
"Solo Mio" follows elementary school art teacher Matt Taylor, who gets stuck in Rome after a wedding disaster. Taylor salvages his ruined honeymoon with the help of some fellow travelers, who help him see that heartbreak is just the beginning of the next story.
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Kevin James attends the premiere of "Solo Mio" at Regal Times Square on Jan. 27, 2026, in New York. (CJ Rivera/Invision/AP)
A video of James playing Taylor first appeared on Instagram and TikTok on Oct. 15, 2025, under accounts named @thisismatttaylor. The actor now boasts 570,000 followers on the former and more than 979,000 on the latter.
Social media users speculated whether the accounts truly belonged to James or someone else who bore an uncanny resemblance to the comedian. The profiles are full of motivational content surrounding art and imagination.
James — as Mr. Taylor — speaks about creativity and being yourself in content that, in theory, is posted by his students. The fictional teacher discusses receiving artistic encouragement himself, saying he wants to pay the advice forward.
The accounts feature several painting tutorials that users compared to "The Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross.
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American comedian and actor Kevin James and actress Leah Remini, as Doug and Carrie Heffernan, sit side by side on a sofa in a scene from the television comedy 'The King of Queens' entitled 'Vocal Discord,' Los Angeles, California, Sept. 26, 2005. (Robert Voets/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
"Kevin James + Bob Ross = Matt Taylor," one Instagram user commented on a video of Taylor creating a pastel drawing of the moon over a lake.
"Mr Taylor used to deliver my packages to my house back in queens. Glad he’s doing well," another commented on the account's first post, in a reference to James' character in long-running sitcom "The King of Queens."
On Feb. 6, the date of the movie's premiere, a video on the account shows Matt Taylor crying in a tuxedo. It is implied that he was left at the altar, tying directly into the plot of "Solo Mio."
James was also seen sporting a tuxedo holding a bouquet of flowers at Super Bowl LX, in what now-viral TikToks suggest was further marketing for the film.
Actor Kevin James of CBS television series Kevin Can Wait attends the 2016 CBS Upfront at Oak Room on May 18, 2016 in New York City. (Getty Images)
Industry trade publication Screen Daily reports that the project was acquired by Angel Studios for $4 million, though that figure does not include marketing costs. The movie brought in $7.2 on its opening weekend, according to Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that the rom-com will be a success that is likely to have legs.
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It was No. 2 at the box office after "Send Help" raked in $10 million in its sophomore weekend, Rotten Tomatoes reports. A $7.2 million opening might not be a screaming success by the standards of today's big-budget blockbusters, but it represents a spectacular showing for a small-budget comedy that recouped its costs — especially one that premiered on Super Bowl weekend.
Max Bacall is an Associate Editor for the Flash/Media/Culture team at Fox News Digital.
