Films like “Superbad”
feel personal and enduring but it is also what makes them harder to package as global events. Studios now rely heavily on international box office numbers to justify budgets.
(Image Courtesy of Just Watch)
This piece is from the CU Independent’s opinion section. Any opinions or views do not represent the CU Independent.
Audiences are just not interested anymore. This is the simple excuse that studio executives are using to explain why theatrical comedies are disappearing. Studio executives have pointed to box office numbers and changing viewing habits as proof that the comedy genre no longer draws the extensive crowds it once did. However, this explanation ignores a more uncomfortable truth that Hollywood seems to be hiding. Theatrical comedies did not disappear because people stopped loving or watching them. Instead, they disappeared because studios and their executives stopped seeing them as financially worth the risk, as other genres bring in more profit.
The decline of theatrical comedies has far less to do with audience demand and far more to do with how Hollywood now measures success. Studios are increasingly focusing on blockbuster franchises and action movies as they tend to bring in much more revenue. Due to this newfound focus, comedies have now become a thing of the past in an industry obsessed with guaranteed returns. For decades, comedies were one of Hollywood’s most reliable genres. They were pretty inexpensive to produce, didn’t require extensive visual effects and often delivered impressive box office returns. Romantic comedies, buddy comedies and character driven studio comedies consistently performed well because they appealed to a wide variety of audiences and relied on repeat viewing and word of mouth.
Comedies started becoming extremely successful in the late 1980s with films like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Coming to America” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” These films opened in theaters, relied on star power, became cultural touchstones and were extremely profitable without massive budgets. Once the 1990s came around, studios were willing to fund mid-budget comedies, stars could open movies and they regularly played in a wide theatrical release. Some of the most famous comedies to come out of the ‘90s include “Clueless,” “American Pie” and “Dumb and Dumber.”
I often consider the 2000s the peak of theatrical comedy as it was the moment that comedy was everywhere, profitable and culturally dominant. Big movies to come out of this decade include “Superbad,” “The Hangover,” “Step Brothers” and “Wedding Crashers.” Even though there were amazing comedy movies that debuted in the 2010s like “Bridesmaids,” “Pitch Perfect,” “Easy A,” “21 Jump Street” and “Grown Ups,” this was the transition period for comedy. Superhero and franchise films started to dominate theaters and studios started to pull away from mid-budget risks, which is mostly what comedies are. By late 2010s, most original comedies were no longer theatrical events as most moved over to streaming.
Films like “Step Brothers,” “Grown Ups,” “Superbad,” “Bridesmaids,” “Napoleon Dynamite” and “21 Jump Street” didn’t need huge budgets or a global marketing spectacle in order to succeed. Their appeal came directly from relatability, quotable dialogue and characters that made audiences want to watch them over and over again. A comedy didn’t need to break global records to be considered successful, it needed to make a solid profit domestically and have a life on DVD, cable or streaming. That financial flexibility allowed studios to take chances on new stars and original ideas. Today, that margin for experimentation has significantly decreased. Modern Hollywood operates on a much different risk calculation spectrum than it once did. Studios are no longer looking for films that perform “well enough.” Instead, they are looking for films that perform exceptionally across global markets, multiple platforms and extend cinematic universes.
To put the massive shift into perspective, many modern action blockbusters now cost about $100-300 million to produce with studios on average expecting a worldwide return of about $700 million to $1 billion, according to Investopedia. On the other hand, successful studio comedies are often made for $20-40 million and can be profitable at a fraction of that box office total even though those numbers are extremely small by today’s standards. To add to this, blockbuster franchises tend to dominate because they are very predictable. They offer familiar intellectual property, built in fanbases and the possibility of a sequel makes it easier to market and justify these massive budgets.
Specificity is one of comedy’s biggest strengths, but also one of its biggest weaknesses. The best comedies tend to be rooted in character, timing and cultural nuance. That specificity is exactly what makes films like “Superbad” or “Step Brothers” feel personal and enduring but it is also what makes them harder to package as global events. Studios now rely heavily on international box office numbers to justify budgets. Action films thrive in this environment because the spectacle transcends language barriers. Comedies, however, often depend on cultural context and dialogue, making it harder for it to do well internationally.
Rather than disappearing entirely, comedy has been redirected. Many comedies now live on streaming platforms, where success is measured by engagement instead of ticket sales. It felt like for over the past five years, there have been no comedies being made, however, there does appear to be a small resurgence. While these new ways to watch comedies have allowed the genre to survive, it has also stripped comedy of its theatrical presence. Movies that once became culturally iconic through shared laughter in packed theatres are now quietly being released and quickly buried in content libraries.
The decline of theatrical comedies isn’t a reflection of changing tastes; it’s a reflection of changing priorities. Studios didn’t stop making comedies because audiences stopped laughing. They stopped because comedies no longer fit into their business model built around million and billion-dollar expectations. Audiences still love the comedies they grew up with. They still quote them, rewatch them, and share them across multiple generations. The demand for comedy movies never disappeared and if anything, we want them now more than ever. Hollywood just stopped meeting these demands. A movie doesn’t need to always launch a major franchise or dominate the global box office. The film making industry is a billion-dollar industry and can afford to take a minor risk to create more comedies that people will love. Sometimes movies just need to be lighthearted and make people laugh. For a long time, laughter was more than enough.
Contact CU Independent Writer Emily Eigenbrode at emily.eigenbrode@colorado.edu
