There was a point in time when folks would ask you, “Did you see that new movie? It’s so funny.” Then everyone in the conversation would take turns quoting the parts that made them laugh the most. Comedy movies used to be the talk of the town when they were released in theaters. Everyone loves to laugh regardless of who they are, so it’s a genre that easily hits a large demographic and can be enjoyed by many. So much so it’s something people often bond over.

In more recent years, however, comedies have seemingly disappeared from theaters. Sure, they find their way there on a rare (and welcome) occasion, and they still hit streaming services from time to time, but even with all those it’s significantly less than what used to be released in theaters.

Now, if there’s comedy in a theatrically-released movie, it’s hidden in other genres. There are, of course, rom-coms, horror-comedies, and sci-fi flicks with humorous moments. But it’s safe to say that action-comedies have been ruling the box office for the past decade or so, like with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Sonic the Hedgehog films. This makes some sense, as audiences are still getting their laughs while enjoying the explosive visuals and scale of blockbuster action movies. That being said, these action-comedies have proven to studios that folks would rather show up to watch those instead of standard comedies, like Anchorman, Superbad, Mean Girls, or Office Space. 

Because of this pull toward action-comedy, many audiences have come to expect certain brands of humor in their movies. If something attempts a different style of humor, or doesn’t come equipped with the massive explosions, it doesn’t do nearly as well. It’s truly heartbreaking.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that DVDs and Blu-rays aren’t as relevant nowadays. While I’m someone who still loves physical media, it’s understandable that many movie fans have stopped bothering with it in favor of the ease and convenience of digital streaming services. Less physical media being sold has really hurt comedy movies financially. Historically, comedies that had a moderate run at the box office made a lot of money on home video due to word of mouth and people talking about how funny it was. Now that’s essentially gone, meaning that studios make less money on comedies and don’t want to bother making more.

It’s all very upsetting. There’s nothing quite like laughing out loud along with a huge crowd of people. The joy spreading across the theater always made the lighthearted film that much more enjoyable. It’s tragic that modern younger viewers may never experience something like that. Enjoying the laughs together and quoting the jokes together afterward will always be one of the most enjoyable social interactions around. Let’s hope successes like the reboot of The Naked Gun convince movie studios to take the risk on comedies in the future.

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