They didn't quite reach the epiphany but they're close. Hollywood is realizing that modern comedy sucks. They are blaming it on Youtube and Netflix, but I suspect the problem runs much deeper - their political BS and hackneyed usual safe subjects just are not delivering on the laughs:
Once upon a time, Hollywood gave us Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and others like them. Now they shove us Aziz Ansari and Cuck Rogan and nobody's laughing. That isn't Youtube's fault.
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Comedies are becoming a grim business for Hollywood.
Traditional comedies are struggling for oxygen at the box office, caught between superhero sequels that integrate laughs and a vast buffet of stand-up specials, sitcoms, amateur pranks and original films on digital services like Netflix and YouTube,
Last year’s most successful adult comedy, “Girls Trip,” took in $117 million in the U.S. and Canada. The last time the year’s highest-grossing comedy grossed so little was 1995, when tickets cost 52% less on average.
It wasn’t an anomaly. The five most successful adult comedies grossed an average of $141 million in 2013, $109 million in 2015 and just $85 million last year.
So far in 2018, the biggest live-action comedy has been “Game Night,” which took in just $69 million. Melissa McCarthy’s “Life of the Party,” has grossed $52 million, her lowest-grossing comedy ever. Amy Schumer’s “I Feel Pretty” is finishing its box office run with $49 million, less than half of her debut hit “Trainwreck.” “Action Point,” from the producer and star of “Jackass,” has grossed just $5 million, compared with $117 million for “Jackass 3-D” in 2010.
When adult dramas started to fade at the box office in the early 2010s, most people in Hollywood agreed the reason was a boom in high-quality drama series like “Breaking Bad” and “House of Cards” on cable and streaming platforms that meant people could get their fix at home. In addition, most dramas aren’t visually compelling enough to qualify as mandatory big-screen viewing.
But many thought comedy and horror were immune to small-screen competition. As evidenced by April’s $186 million hit “A Quiet Place,” many people still prefer to be scared in a dark theater packed with other people. Comedy, proponents argued, worked the same way: Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey and Julia Roberts were so successful, they figured, because it is more fun to laugh with 200 people than alone on your couch.
Now that is proving to not be true. With stand-up specials on Netflix, pranksters on YouTube and animated GIFs on social media, people can get more than enough laughs on any digital device. In addition, people who want to laugh at the cinema can do so at the same time they watch their favorite superheroes kick butt in movies like “Deadpool 2,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Thor: Ragnarok” that blend action-adventure with comedy.
“The biggest movies now are sucking up so many genres, including comedy, that after you see one you no longer need to go see something different to get your comedy itch scratched,” said Megan Colligan, a consultant and veteran studio marketing executive.
Several major comedy stars are now making direct-to-streaming films for Netflix Inc., including Mr. Sandler, Chris Rock and Will Ferrell, a sign of the diminished opportunities at traditional studios that release in theaters and a further incentive for audiences to stay at home.
Just five years ago, things were quite different. In 2013, Ms. McCarthy and Sandra Bullock’s “The Heat” and the raucous R-rated “We’re the Millers” each grossed more than $150 million domestically. Another movie with Ms. McCarthy, “Identity Thief,” was close behind with $135 million. “Grown Ups 2,” “Anchorman 2,” “Bad Grandpa,” “This is the End” and even the widely maligned “Hangover Part III” all exceeded $100 million in domestic ticket sales.
Now, the only major comedy hits are those made for children. “Peter Rabbit,” featuring computer-generated critters that outsmart real-life adults, grossed a healthy $115 million in February, and animated comedies like “Despicable Me 3” and “The Boss Baby” were top grossers last year.
“The Incredibles 2,” which mixes family-friendly action, comedy and drama, scored a massive $182.7 million in its opening weekend.
Though certain subgenres like romantic comedy have nearly disappeared, most studios aren’t yet abandoning adult comedy. They have, however, slashed spending on them so that they can potentially become profitable on lower grosses than were needed in the past. No comedy stars earn the $20 million per picture that Messrs. Carrey and Sandler and Ms. Roberts sometimes did in the past.
“Tag” is a recent example of the new approach. Made for just $28 million, it features no major comedy stars and was sold primarily on its concept, a real-life story about grown friends in a decadeslong game of tag that was based on a Wall Street Journal article.
“There was a time when comedies were being made for $70 million. Then $45 million. Now the sweet spot is in the 20s,” said Todd Garner, a producer of “Tag” who previously produced comedies starring Mr. Sandler.
“Tag” opened to $15 million, just a little less than the openings of “Life of the Party,” and “Game Night.” The highest opening for a comedy this year was “Blockers,” about parents coping with teenage daughters who want to lose their virginity, at $20.6 million.
Given their modest budgets, all those films could end up in the black, particularly if they do well on home video, television and streaming in the years to come. In the past, however, comedies that grossed hundreds of millions were hugely profitable, even if they were costly to make. Those days appear to be behind Hollywood.
Any hopes that 2018 will have a single $100 millon-plus comedy likely lie later in the year, with the romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians” or Kevin Hart’s and Tiffany Haddish’s “Night School,” studio executives said.
Once upon a time, Hollywood gave us Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and others like them. Now they shove us Aziz Ansari and Cuck Rogan and nobody's laughing. That isn't Youtube's fault.
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