Woke killed the R-rated comedy.
It’s hard to deny. It’s even more challenging to bring them back, en masse, to movie theaters.
The recent “No Hard Feelings” was a good first effort, drawing a modest crowd and delivering a few adult laughs. The recent “Busboys,” released with zero fanfare, pushed the envelope but quickly disappeared from theaters.
Others, like “Ricky Stanicky” and “Balls Up” debuted on Prime Video, not in theaters. The former found some R-rated laughs while the latter proved unwatchable. (Full disclosure: This critic watched the first 25 minutes of “Balls Up” but bailed at that point – so not a full-throated review)
Now, we have our first R-rated comedy smash in a while, courtesy of the Wayans family.
“Scary Movie,” the sixth film in the parody franchise, is set to make an estimated $56 million this weekend in a very crowded, competitive marketplace. That’s gold, especially since the film’s budget came in around $30 million.
That’s just math.
Now, compare that to the reception for “The Breadwinner.” The squeaky-clean comedy gives Nate Bargatze his first major film role. He’s the most popular stand-up comedian in the country by a large margin.
Yet the film opened to a tepid $7+ million in its opening frame, and it’s expected to fall roughly 59 percent this weekend.
“The Breadwinner” will likely crush it on VOD and, later, a streaming service. The comic’s first film simply didn’t lure his legion of fans to theaters.
Audiences chose an R-rated comedy that vowed to offend and cross every line. The latter was literally in the film’s marketing materials.
We’ll need more data to draw more conclusions from this box office information, but it suggests we’re eager to see more bawdy comedies at our local cineplex.
Could “The Hangover: Part IV” be next?
Do you long for the return of R-rated comedies in theaters? Which ones are your personal favorites?
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