The world in which movies are made has changed drastically in the last decade. With the over-abundance of popularity in movies released on streaming services, and certain productions skipping a theatrical release, films have seen a shift in the genres that reach box office success. One of these genres in particular is comedy. As defined by Buffed Film Buffs, the studio comedy is a live-action, studio-produced film with comical scenes that exists outside a pre-existing franchise. Examples of such would be films like Bridesmaids, The Hangover, and 21 Jump Street.

For decades, the appeal of the comedy genre sold tickets across the board, and actors like Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, and Will Ferrell were at the reins. However, there has been a prominent plummet in comedy productions in the modern era. Is it the lack of comedic actors in the field? Perhaps the writing isn’t up to par. What is it that caused the downfall of the studio comedy?
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Comedic Origins

New Line Cinema

A comedy isn’t always a one-size fits all, and there are over a dozen sub-genres in films containing humor, ranging from slapstick to horror. The genre is amongst one of the oldest in film history, and was directly adapted from stage plays. The first comedy on record in history came out of the silent film era and was called L’Arroseur Arrosé, and one of the most notable actors of this era was the infamous Charlie Chaplin.

Over the years, comedies have transformed drastically from cartoon-like depictions of body humor to dark dramas with comedic undertones. It is hard to pinpoint a specific decade that produced some of the greatest comedies of the 21st Century (as outlined by Rolling Stone), and each era in film has a different style in production value. Some of the greatest comedic actors of the last three decades, in fact, had their careers skyrocket thanks to the NBC program, Saturday Night Live. Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Mike Myers, Will Ferrell, and Adam Sandler are just a few of the biggest names to come out of the show.

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However, Jim Carrey who brought to life some of the greastest comedic performances in film history, didn’t make the cut for SNL. Carrey found his breakout role in the television series called In Living Color, which would launch his comedy career. From the early-2000s to the 2010s, big-budget comedies like The Hangover, Anchorman, and Bridesmaids dominated the box office. Fast-forward to today, and big budget comedies are far and few between.

Streaming Killed the Movie Star

Warner Bros. Pictures 

One of the biggest things to assess when examining the pitfall of the studio comedy is box office numbers. 2009’s The Hangover grossed $469.3 million in box office earnings, while its sequels stayed in the same ballpark. A few years later, Bridesmaids would earn $26 million in its opening weekend alone. Fast-forward to 2022, and studio comedies are struggling to hit $100 million. What caused the shift? According to Collider, streaming services are producing the same level of comedy without the added cost of a theater ticket, and films that do make it to the big screen serve more as “event films” rather than straight comedies.

The way in which we watch movies is ever-changing, as well as the way we think about them. Comedies of today need more meat on their bones to truly engage the audience. No film seems to be able to stand on its own within its genre, and often dabbles with other tropes to deliver the plot. 2022’s The Lost City earned an impressive streak at the box office, sitting at just over $190 million. However, Sandra Bullock’s name alone can still fill theater seats. The film is also a crossover, blurring the lines between action and romance, all while sprinkling in comedic undertones.

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To be fair to film, to say that comedy is dead would be a drastic over statement. There is no science to why certain comedies sell tickets, or if streaming truly does have a chokehold on big-budget Hollywood productions. The only thing that is truly clear: comedies of the 90s through the mid-2010s are very much a thing of the past.