Comedy Is King… Most Of The Time
The comedy genre has seen a lot of traction in the summer movie schedule, especially after the incredible successes of There’s Something About Mary, Wedding Crashers, The Hangover and Bridesmaids during the summer session. All of those films had good opening weekends, but their final tallies were more than six times their opening – something that happens maybe once or twice a year for a major release. Often inexpensive to make and easy to market due to simple story hooks – schlubby Seth Rogen spars with hunky neighbor Zac Efron, for instance – and one wonders why summer is more often defined by action blockbusters and franchises instead of big laughers.
Unsurprisingly, two of the season’s biggest hits were broad, crude, R-rated comedies. Neighbors (using the easy to describe plotline above) knocked The Amazing Spider-Man 2 out of the #1 spot after only one weekend and eventually out-grossed Knocked Up. 22 Jump Street played around with sequel conventions with a meta-approach that was more refreshing than tiresome and also saw a long staying power in theaters. Meanwhile, one could credit the wry, tongue-in-cheek humor from the Guardians of the Galaxy ads as a major reason it has been the summer’s biggest film. In a season of very serious spectacles, audiences responded to adventures that had a lighter touch.
Of course, the comedy genre is not foolproof for big profits. Unfunny trailers for A Million Ways to Die in the West, Blended and Sex Tape translated to disappointing runs for those raunchy titles. If people are not laughing through the trailers, odds are they won’t slam down $10 to hear more tired jokes. Regardless, studio executives would be wise to keep piling potential comedy hits into this four-month period.