Hollywood gave up on big-screen comedies. Will the movies learn to laugh again?

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For Hollywood, the state of big-screen comedies has been so grim you almost have to laugh.

Movies from specific categories, such as action-packed blockbusters with impressive visual effects, heartwarming family films, and chilling horror flicks that make you jump, have been popular choices at cinemas lately.

But comedies? Not so much after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past while, a series of comedic movies have been released with the aim of shifting things. In this month alone, studios have churned out one comedy after another. The trend started with Paramount Pictures’ revamp of “The Naked Gun,” starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, followed closely by Walt Disney Co.’s long-awaited sequel “Freakier Friday,” which brought Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan back together.

To date, “The Naked Gun” has earned approximately $73 million globally, and “Freaky Friday” surpassed that with a gross of $86 million. Both films garnered positive appraisals from critics: “The Naked Gun” received an impressive 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while “Freaky Friday” obtained a respectable 74%.

As a cinephile, I’m eagerly anticipating my next two cinematic adventures: “The Roses,” a fresh take by Searchlight Pictures on the classic tale of marital warfare, “The War of the Roses”; and “Splitsville,” an original Neon production featuring Dakota Johnson, which delves into the complexities of messy marriages. Can’t wait to immerse myself in these captivating stories!

Despite the fact that this genre has become less popular in recent years with studios, favoring comedies on streaming platforms instead of cinema, making people laugh in movies still holds significant value, much like creating suspenseful moments through jump scares. According to filmmakers, this is an essential aspect to bring audiences together for a hilarious movie experience.

Hollywood Inc.

After just a week on the job, tech mogul David Ellison has begun to acclimate at the Paramount Studios lot, following the ownership takeover by his family after more than 100 years.

Nisha Ganatra, the director of ‘Freakier Friday’, noted that watching horror movies stirs up a desire for collective experiences. However, she points out that we’ve seemingly lost the appreciation for shared laughter as well. She questions why our communal experiences are limited to triggering fear responses when we could instead stimulate feelings of joy and connection.

Currently, comedies earn just a small portion of the money they used to at the box office, as stated by David A. Gross from his FranchiseRe industry newsletter. For instance, this year alone is projected to see around 18 wide-release comedies bringing in a global total of $650 million, he mentioned. However, back in 2005 – a golden age for the genre – an impressive 50 wide-release movies amassed over $4 billion in worldwide box office revenue combined.

Hollywood comedies were a cash cow for years, but they’ve run up against a number of hurdles.

1) The cost of producing comedy shows has increased significantly, especially since the popular comedians from the 2000s boom period gained more fame. Additionally, humor has evolved, and jokes that were once acceptable are no longer suitable, according to experts. Furthermore, American-made comedies don’t always resonate with international audiences, which can limit their box office earnings, despite a theater’s desire for films of all genres.

As a movie enthusiast, I’ve noticed that comedies seem to be following the path once taken by westerns. Although they’ve made a comeback, for this beloved genre to truly thrive and remain relevant, it requires a dedicated effort from the big film studios.

The history of Hollywood is deeply rooted in comedy, with early filmgoers eagerly attending screenings to watch the slapstick humor of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton during the silent movie era. Later on, the comedic talents of stars like Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, and Mike Myers attracted cinemagoers in subsequent decades.

In more recent times, the 2000s witnessed a significant rise in popularity for cinematic comedies. Ranging from the humorous newsroom battles depicted in “Anchorman,” to the scathing social satire of “Borat” and the boozy escapades shown in “The Hangover,” comedic films became frequent box office hits. Directors such as Judd Apatow, Adam McKay, and Todd Phillips saw remarkable success in this genre.

Hollywood Inc.

For the fiscal third quarter, while Walt Disney Company saw lower theatrical distribution results, it experienced a growth in its streaming subscriber base and recorded robust performances at its domestic theme parks.

Since that time, there’s been a consistent decrease in the count of widely released movies and the overall global box office earnings, as stated by Gross.

Gross stated that the development in the theater industry is such that it primarily requires either a visually impressive spectacle or a film suitable for families. To make a significant impact at the box office, it needs to be something exceptionally extraordinary.

A significant portion of the transition can also be linked to the surge in streaming platforms and the pandemic’s impact, which led to theater closures and studios revising their decisions about what movies should be shown in cinemas. More comedic films have started appearing on streaming services, for instance, “You’re Cordially Invited,” a romantic comedy starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, which is available on Prime Video this year, or the 2021 satire “Don’t Look Up” that premiered on Netflix with an all-star cast.

Comedians like Adam Sandler are now finding profitable collaborations with streaming platforms, such as Netflix, where Sandler initially secured a four-movie agreement back in 2014. The most recent of these films, “Happy Gilmore 2,” was made available on Netflix last month and has garnered significant viewership.

In recent times, comedy has flourished in a serial format, with productions such as “Nobody Wants This” on Netflix, “The Studio” on Apple TV+, and “Only Murders in the Building” on Hulu. These shows, along with an abundance of stand-up comedians’ streaming specials, suggest that there is a strong demand for humor that brings laughter out loud, according to industry experts.

Essentially, filmmakers aim to transition that same engaging comedy they’ve created into feature films, hoping to reunite viewers with a cinematic comedy experience on the movie screen once more.

Erica Huggins, president of Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions and a producer of “The Naked Gun,” stated that comedy is thriving in both television and streaming. She expressed optimism that as we encourage people to embrace the idea of experiencing comedy in movie theaters, it will gain popularity.

One key factor is making comedies on modest budgets.

In light of today’s subpar box office earnings for comedies and their limited success in international markets, Bock from Exhibitor Relations suggests that the optimal budget range for these types of productions is generally between $30 million to $40 million.

The budgets of “Freakier Friday” and “The Naked Gun” (around $42 million each) align roughly with what’s been reported. For studios hesitant about risk, a larger budget for a comedy could seem like an unnecessary gamble. In such cases, they would require a stronger box office performance, particularly in regions where humor preferences might differ.

It’s like taking a big swing. It might be a home run, or it could miss completely.

Nowadays, humor is being blended into various types of films, including action flicks, children’s movies, and big-budget series like “The Minecraft Film.

Michael Angelo Covini mentioned that ‘Splitsville’, a project he directed, co-wrote, produced, and starred in, already has an established viewer base. He explained this audience could be large and dynamic, with potential for humor unlike traditional comedies, as opposed to purely original comedies from two decades ago which had a thriving theatrical market.

Although Covino didn’t reveal the exact budget for the movie, he mentioned that it was produced efficiently with a focus on being cost-effective, yet it included high-impact stunt scenes.

There’s some indication that studios are warming again to big-screen comedies.

In a recent talk to journalists, the new joint head of Paramount Pictures, Josh Greenstein, highlighted a significant potential for R-rated comedies, along with other movie categories. Meanwhile, a follow-up to the buddy comedy “One of Them Days,” starring Keke Palmer and SZA, is currently in the initial stages of production at Sony Pictures Entertainment’s TriStar Pictures. Released earlier this year, this Los Angeles-based film grossed over $51 million on an estimated budget of $14 million.

According to Huggins and Fuzzy Door, “The Naked Gun” was originally intended as a stage play by Paramount Studios. Moreover, studio insiders have indicated that the latest box office successes of “The Naked Gun” and “Freaky Friday” suggest that comedies continue to be attractive options for live-action performances.

David Isaacs, a professor of screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts who has worked on shows like “MASH” and is co-chair of the USC Comedy program, noted that studios often rely on established intellectual properties to reduce risks when producing comedies. In his own backyard, he’s observed a trend among young writers in USC’s program: they are increasingly interested in comedy, even though there are few original theatrical endeavors in this genre currently available.

Isaacs mentioned that one might assume we’d have less need for guidance now, but instead, we hear criticisms about us not incorporating enough humor into our teachings,” is a possible paraphrase in natural and easy-to-read language.

Given the challenging political and global circumstances, sharing a laugh might be more crucial than ever before, according to filmmakers.

Huggins remarked that the world has changed significantly, and we’re living in challenging times. He suggested that humor, being something everyone seems to be craving right now, could be particularly valuable.

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2025-08-20 13:37