Back in 2008, comedy movies took in $2.03 billion at the domestic box office. By 2013, it was still viable enough to procure $1.64 billion in North America. However, in the 2020s, the domain of “Austin Powers” and “Grown Ups” has fallen on hard box office times. Excluding “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Kung Fu Panda 4,” comedies in 2024 only grossed $397 million domestically.
The recent failure of Aziz Ansaris “Good Fortune” has only reinforced the pervasive problems plaguing this once-lucrative genre. On opening weekend, this $30 million budgeted production took in just $6.2 million despite premiering in 2,900+ theaters and having big names like Keanu Reeves and Keke Palmer in its cast. By comparison, “Balls of Fury” opened to $11.35 million in 2007 without adjusting for inflation.
Sadly, “Good Fortune” is no anomaly in the 2020s theatrical cinema landscape. What happened to this genre? How did we go from the glory days of 2012 hits like “Ted” and “Pitch Perfect” to endless flops like “Easter Sunday,” “Strays,” and legacy sequel “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues?” There are several reasons for this severe decline, including intense competition from streaming services, persistent marketing problems, and issues related to quality, among others. Comedy movies are struggling to find their footing in this day and age for a deluge of reasons so grave they won’t leave anyone belly-laughing.
Emphasizing well-worn comedy leads
“Good Fortune” marked Aziz Ansari’s first appearance in a theatrically released live-action film since 2013’s “This is The End, a signal that his pop culture relevancy isn’t exactly steaming hot. 2023’s box office bomb “About My Father,” meanwhile, suffered a similar fate by centering on Robert De Niro bouncing off a younger co-star, and “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” concerned a trio of fictional musicians in their 70s.
Like so many avenues of 2020s theatrical cinema, big-screen comedy has been obsessed with older stars who aren’t relevant to younger audiences. That’s a huge problem for comedies since this genre’s traditionally been fueled by those under 35. 60% of “Superbad’s” opening weekend audience in 2007, for instance, was between the ages of 18 and 30. 52% of “Ted’s” opening weekend crowd was under 30, while “The Hangover” had 47% of its historic bow come from folks below 25. In sharp contrast, only 19% of “Good Fortune’s” opening day audience was under 25.
On and on the examples go of comedy hits drawing in hordes of college-aged crowds, with the genre being youth-skewing first and foremost. 2020s comedies relying on performers like Ansari and De Niro have ensured that these movies won’t capture that crucial demographic.
The deluge of comedy movies on streaming
In 2019, there was already concern surrounding the box office resilience of comedies. When the COVID pandemic came around, major outfits like Paramount and Universal started sending titles like “The Lovebirds,” “Coming 2 America,” and “The King of Staten Island” to streaming platforms and premium video-on-demand outlets.
Even as superhero movies and animated kids’ fare returned to multiplexes, comedies remained on streaming. Disney/20th Century Studios debuted the two “Vacation Friends” films and “Quiz Lady” on Hulu, Prime Video dropped movies like “My Spy: The Eternal City” and “Jackpot!,” and Netflix has unleashed major titles such as “Happy Gilmore 2.” This influx of small-screen comedies has made it extra hard for theatrical releases to stand out. At least action and horror movies can rely on IMAX screens to differentiate themselves. What few comedies even make it to the big screen in the 2020s, though, often look indistinguishable from your typical Amazon or Netflix fare.
That’s a tragic phenomenon since comedy features benefit so much from being seen in a crowd. Communal laughter is a joyous experience. However, it’s become difficult to replicate that experience with so much comedic competition on the streamers. The pandemic’s ripple effects are still reverberating in this deeply vulnerable genre.
Lack of interesting marketing
For some reason, modern comedy movies always get stuck with the absolute worst marketing campaigns. Just look at the poster for “Good Fortune,” which places its characters against a generic blue backdrop with no meaningful insight. Good luck figuring out that this was a body-swap yukfest or a movie about class just through this poster. Meanwhile, 2023’s “Joy Ride’s” trailers and commercials were devoid of the personality that could’ve made it a stand out.
Compare this to the ingenious, cryptic campaign preceding “Longlegs” last year, which beckoned viewers to use their imagination regarding what wasn’t seen in the advertising. Similarly, 2025’s “Weapons” kicked off with terrific short teasers full of atmosphere that immediately communicated the “kids are missing” hook. Just because comedy movies like “Good Fortune” or “Strays” inhabit a different genre doesn’t mean they’re incapable of embracing creative marketing gimmicks.
Who’s to say “Fortune” couldn’t also have a toll-free number where people could talk to Keanu Reeves’ Gabriel? How about fun “Joy Ride” viral videos introducing each of the film’s four leads? Too many comedy movies have gone through the motions with their pre-release promotion, resulting in dismal box office numbers.
A dearth of awareness
Per a recent survey from Regal Cinemas, polled audiences revealed the chief reason they skipped out on seeing certain movies theatrically. Surprisingly, the primary culprits weren’t ticket prices or waiting to see things on streaming. Instead, it was awareness. People didn’t check out certain titles theatrically simply because they weren’t on their radar. This explains why endeavors like “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” and “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” with their massive pre-existing fanbases, soared theatrically while original works have failed to gain momentum.
This is undoubtedly a problem especially plaguing big-screen comedies. This genre previously relied on certain marketing tactics (like live TV commercials, late-night program guest spots, and local advertising) that have either changed dramatically or outright vanished in the wake of COVID-19. Original titles like “Strays,” “Joy Ride,” and “Good Fortune” have struggled to get people’s attention in the 2020s. The scarcity of these titles in theaters compounds this problem, since it’s been difficult to get people back into the rhythm of expecting new comedy movies at their local multiplex.
This web of problems has kept countless comedies from reaching full box office glory. Hits like “One of Them Days” and “Jackass Forever” show people still want to big screen laughs in the 2020s. Making them aware new comedies are in theaters, though, is a whole other story.
Severe problems with quality
2011 and 2012 marked the lowest points for horror movies at the domestic box office in over a decade. A wave of terrible found-footage films and uncalled-for remakes pushed the genre into a financial nosedive. Then, in the mid-2010s, filmmakers like Jennifer Kent, David Robert Mitchell, Robert Eggers, and Jordan Peele resurrected horror by infusing it with finer visual craftsmanship (intricately composed shots replaced the found-footage realm’s incessant shaky-cam) and excitingly relevant stories.
Right now, it looks like comedies are in their own equivalent to horror’s early 2010s creative doldrums. Titles like “Strays,” “House Party,” “Honey, Don’t,” and “Next Goal Wins” didn’t score anywhere near good enough reviews to convince audiences to see them. Unsurprisingly, the handful of better-reviewed 2020s films like “The Naked Gun” and “One of Them Days,” have churned out respectable box office runs. Mostly, though, dismal word-of-mouth has deterred people from checking out comedy movies in theaters.
It was one thing to crank out bad Adam Sandler comedies in the 2000s when people went to multiplexes regularly. Considering factors like minimum wage being unaltered since 2009 and the plethora of competition for people’s attention in modern pop culture, though, subpar comedy movies just don’t cut it anymore, and their box office totals have suffered as a result. Here’s to hoping the genre can get its own theatrical resurgence, just like horror did with “It Follows” and “Get Out.”