10 Recent Comedy Movie Flops That Are Still Hilarious

Over the years, many hilarious stories comedy movies they actually underperformed at the box office. Even beloved classics like Office space and Hot and humid American summer completely flopped upon its original release, barely managing to recoup its budget (if they even managed to do so). For a variety of reasons, many comedy films fail to get the love they deserve until later.

Unfortunately, the last decade has seemed to continue this trend. Some of the funniest comedies have ended up being financial failures despite being consistently able to get a lot of laughs from their viewers. Of course, box office numbers are far from the most important indicator of a film's qualityespecially when the film's main goal is to make viewers laugh. These recent comedy films may not have managed to attract large audiences to the theater, but they still bring a lot of laughs when they're needed most.

10

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Directed by James Gunn

When it comes to getting laughs from audiences, few films of the 2020s have managed to do so as explosively as The Suicide Squad. Written and directed by James Gunn, this DC Extended Universe film served as a sort of sequel to the 2016 film, Suicide Squadalthough it introduced a wide variety of new characters and took the story in a drastically different direction.

Supported by an all-star cast, this action-packed comedy follows a team of lesser-known villains as they are forced to work together on a dangerous mission to save the world. Despite receiving generally positive reviews, The Suicide Squad it underperformed at the box office, failing to recoup its $185 million budget.

There is no single explanation as to why the film was a failure, as several factors likely contributed to its lack of success. Perhaps the most prominent factor was the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the film being released via HBO Max at the same time it was released in theaters. The confusion surrounding the film's connection to the previous (and very poorly evaluated) Suicide Squad It certainly didn't help his case either.

9

Telma (2024)

Directed by Josh Margolin

Among the most recent comedy films that bombed at the box office is Thelmawritten and directed by Josh Margolin. This hilarious film puts a silly spin on the idea of ​​a revenge story, following Thelma Post, 93, sets out on a mission to recover the $10,000 she lost because of a phone scam. Oscar nominee June Squibb consistently steals the show as Thelma, deliciously proving that her talent has only continued to grow over time.

Despite your cheerful tone and inspiring message, Thelma it only managed to gross just over 12 million dollars at the box office. This is not to say that reviews of the film were negative. Thelma it currently holds an impressive 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the highest-rated comedies of 2024. Thelma manages to find the humor in aging without ever feeling mean-spirited, making it an entertaining (and funny) watch for viewers young and old.

8

Brothers (2022)

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

In 2022, Universal Pictures released the groundbreaking film, Brothersbecoming one of the first major studio romantic comedies to feature a same-sex couple and a predominantly LGBTQ cast. The film stars Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane as Bobby and Aaron, a duo who begin to question their hesitancy around serious relationships when they fall in love with each other.

Brothers is hilarious and moving, consistently offering well-executed humor and much-needed representation. Brothers it was made on a budget of 22 million dollars, but failed to gross that much at the box office. Some attributed the dismal performance to certain audiences' hesitation in watching a film about a gay couple.

The fact that the film was released at the same time as Smile, Hocus Pocus 2and Blonde It certainly didn't help either, with these other major films stealing much of the spotlight. Despite the box office numbers, Brothers remains a worthwhile watch for its fun humor and refreshing perspective.

7

The Unbearable Weight of Enormous Talent (2021)

Directed by Tom Gormican

The unbearable weight of enormous talent it is easily among the most creative concepts explored by a comedy film in recent years. Released in 2022, this action-packed comedy stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself, alongside Pedro Pascal, who plays Javi. Facing a sad end to his career, Cage accepts a million-dollar offer to attend the birthday party of Javi, an obsessive fan of Cage's work.

Thanks to its increasingly strange and Adorable chemistry between Cage and Pascalthe film is a crazy and comical ride from beginning to end. These elements ended up not being enough to attract the public to the theaters, however, as The unbearable weight of enormous talent it almost managed to recoup its $30 million budget.

Being released at the same time as The Northman was attributed to the film's less-than-stellar performance, with the two films essentially splitting the potential audience in half. Without considering, The unbearable weight of enormous talent remains a delightfully wacky experience, especially for those familiar with Cageextensive career.

6

Amora (2023)

Directed by Matt Johnson

When reduced to its basic premise, Blackberry It doesn't sound as hilarious as it is. Inspired by real events, this 2023 Canadian film chronicles the huge increase in prominence of BlackBerry cell phonesbefore quickly changing gears and focusing on the company's precipitous downfall soon after.

Thanks to the creative work of filmmaker Matt Johnson, Blackberry consistently manages to find the humor in this shocking story, often inserting laugh-out-loud moments amid the chaos. Blackberry it was made on a budget of just five million dollars, but still failed to earn that much back.

However, this does not mean that Blackberry it was considered a failure. Instead, the film only had a very limited release. Blackberry went on to dominate the Canadian Screen Awards in May 2024winning fourteen awards, including Best Film. This biographical comedy proves that box office numbers are not the clearest indicator of a film's success.

5

Palm Springs (2020)

Directed by Max Barbakow

Max Barbakow's 2020 film, Palm Springsis far from being a typical romantic comedy. Instead of, This clever film infuses the genre with sci-fi elementshighlighting the story of two characters who begin to fall in love when they become trapped in a mysterious time loop together, being forced to relive the same day over and over again.

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti star as the duo trapped in the Groundhog DayStyle setting, with Oscar winner JK Simmons also playing a major role. Due to its very limited release, Palm Springs it grossed less than two million dollars at the box office, falling short of its five million dollar budget.

However, the film proved to be much more successful on the streaming service Hulu, where its viewing figures were huge. Palm Springs It even got two Golden Globe nominationsone for the film itself and one for Samberg's performance. This inventive romantic comedy may have flopped in theaters, but it ended up finding a loving audience.

4

Happy Ride (2023)

Directed by Adele Lim

The idea of ​​four friends going on a crazy vacation together isn't exactly the most innovative concept in the world of comedy, but Joy ride goes above and beyondtaking the premise to some of the most extremes imaginable. The heartwarming film stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu as a quartet of friends who share an Asian vacation filled with bonding and absolute madness.

With script Family GuyStarring Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, viewers can be sure to laugh a lot. Unfortunately, Joy ride it didn't bring as many people to theaters as many had hoped. The film's box office haul only produced just under sixteen million dollars, less than half of its total budget.

Despite its poor performance in theaters, Joy ride remains an entertaining show for comedy lovers everywherecertainly one who never shies away from lewd situations and crude humor. If these elements are what you're looking for in a comedy, Joy ride will be right up your alley.

3

The King of Staten Island (2020)

Directed by Judd Apatow

When it comes to comedy films from the 2000s and beyond, few filmmakers are better known than Judd Apatow. While many of his films have been hugely successful, some have managed to slip through the cracks over the years. One of these films is The King of Staten Islanda semi-autobiographical film starring acclaimed comedian Pete Davidson in his most personal role to date.

Although the film touches on serious themes inspired by Davidson's own life, it isn't afraid to find humor even in rather dark situations. Sadly, The King of Staten Island essentially fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic. The film was originally scheduled to open in spring 2020, but theater closures and festival cancellations threw the release into disarray.

It eventually reached select theaters in several countries, but only managed to recoup less than three million of its $35 million budget at the box office. The theatrical release of The King of Staten Island It may not have gone as planned, but the film continues a refreshing and honest addition to the world of modern comedy.

2

Renfield (2023)

Directed by Chris McKay

Every now and then a film comes along that mixes two genres that couldn't seem more distant: comedy and horror. A recent example of a film that achieved this feat is Renfielda 2023 horror comedy directed by Chris McCay. Inspired by the characters from Bram Stoker's classic novel, Dracula, Renfield opts to follow the story of Dracula's chief associate and sidekick, who over the years has grown weary of his connection with the fearsome vampire.

Starring Nicholas Hoult as Renfield and Nicolas Cage as Dracula, the film offers a very comical take on classic horror characters. Renfield may have impressed its audience with its clever blending of genres, but the size of that audience definitely wasn't quite what the filmmakers expected them to be.

The unusual film grossed less than thirty million dollars at the global box office, less than half of what it cost to make the film. A potential explanation for the lack of success could be the general confusion about whether Renfield Would it be more of a horror or a comedy?. Unfortunately, this uncertainty prevented many potential viewers from going to the cinema, not realizing how funny the film would be.

1

The Nice Guys (2016)

Directed by Shane Black

Shane Black's 2016 buddy comedy, The cool guysmay have finally found a loving audience in recent years, but it wasn't the immediate success some had hoped for. This heavy action comedy film stars Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling as an unlikely partnership tasked with investigating some mysterious events that took place in 1970s Los Angeles.

Many elements helped The cool guys become a fan favorite over timeincluding the undeniable chemistry between its stars, its clever story and its stunning setting. Tthey are nice guys it managed to recoup its box office budget, but not as much as the studio had hoped.

Timing proved to be a major issue for the film's release, as two other major comedies (Neighbors 2: Sisterhood on the Rise and The Angry Birds movie) premiered in theaters at the same time. Since these other films were based on pre-existing properties, The cool guys (being an original idea) has been largely overshadowed. Fortunately, this hilarious comedy film managed to make people laugh years later thanks to streaming services.