photo credit: Alev Dogan / Pexels

Key Takeaways

• Comedy has been a foundational genre in film history, evolving from silent slapstick to a wide range of modern subgenres.
• Many of the most profitable comedies were produced on relatively small budgets and earned back their costs many times over.
• Films such as Pink Flamingos and American Graffiti demonstrate how modest productions can become major commercial successes.
• Cult followings and long theatrical runs, as seen with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, can dramatically extend a film’s profitability.
• Both low-budget and big-budget comedies continue to achieve global box office success, proving the genre’s lasting commercial appeal.

Sharon Vernick is a global marketing director with Westinghouse Electric Company, based in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Sharon Vernick brings more than two decades of experience in marketing and sales, with a professional focus on positioning complex technologies for global audiences. In her current role, she supports the promotion of large nuclear power plants, small modular reactors, and long-duration energy storage technologies, working closely with international agencies across North America and central and eastern Europe.

Her responsibilities include developing market positioning strategies, producing promotional materials, and conducting competitive and market analyses to differentiate Westinghouse offerings. Sharon Vernick also leads the execution of integrated marketing campaigns across diverse media platforms to ensure strong visibility for product launches. She holds an MBA in marketing and is an active member of the American Marketing Association. Her professional background in branding, audience engagement, and market performance provides a useful lens for examining why certain film genres, including comedy, have achieved remarkable and sustained commercial success.

The Most Successful Comedies of All Time

Comedies have played an integral role in the evolution of the film industry. Slapstick, a style of visual comedy, was a foundational genre of the silent film era, while screwball comedies numbered among Hollywood’s first hits during the 1930s, as filmmakers began incorporating sound and dialogue into their films. Many comedic genres developed over the following decades, such as British capers, black comedies, satires, spoofs, and absurd comedies. Unlike other major Hollywood movies, producers and filmmakers can often make comedies with relatively low budgets, resulting in some of the most profitable movies in film history.

John Waters is an innovative, transgressive filmmaker known for pictures such as Hairspray, an adaptation of the musical, and Cry-Baby, starring Johnny Depp. He made his second movie, Pink Flamingos, in 1972 for a measly $12,000. The movie became a cult classic, grossing at least $2 million, with other estimates placing the gross much higher. This is one of numerous examples of small comedies earning back more than 100 times their production budget.

Before changing the film industry forever with his original Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas made the teen comedy American Graffiti. He shot the movie on a small budget of $770,000; the first Star Wars film, A New Hope, would have an $11 million budget. American Graffiti was a smash hit, grossing $140 million, more than 100 times its budget, and garnering five Oscar nominations.

Mel Brooks is one of the most successful comedic filmmakers in Hollywood history. In 1974, he released two influential comedies, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, both of which became multi-million dollar hits. Blazing Saddles was especially successful, generating $120 million at the box office on a budget of less than $3 million.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the most unique comedic successes at the box office. Initially released in 1975 with a budget of $1.4 million, the movie was a box office bomb. However, the movie attracted a sizeable cult following and 20th Century Fox executives began running showings of the film at midnight at select theaters. The trend continued for decades, especially around Halloween, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show has earned nearly $170 million at the box office, adding to its total every year.

Other comedies to earn back their production budgets by orders of magnitude include Airplane!, which made $171 million off of a $4 million budget, Crocodile Dundee, which made $328 million from a $9 million budget, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The latter, one of the most profitable comedies and independent films of all time, made $369 million with a $5 million budget.

Even comedy films with more sizable budgets have plenty of room for profit. The Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn vehicle Wedding Crashers earned over $288 million on a $40 million budget, while Superbad, starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, earned about $170 million on a $20 million budget. The Hangover, released in 2009, had a budget of $35 million and grossed approximately $469 million.

Of course, comedies with large budgets have also enjoyed massive success at the international box office. In 2023, Barbie grossed nearly $1.5 billion. The following summer, Disney’s action-comedy film Deadpool & Wolverine earned close to $1.4 billion.

FAQ

Why are comedies often so profitable?

Comedies typically cost less to produce than effects-driven films, allowing them to generate high returns even with moderate box office success.

What is an example of a low-budget comedy that became a major hit?

American Graffiti and Pink Flamingos both earned more than one hundred times their production budgets, becoming landmark successes.

How did The Rocky Horror Picture Show become successful?

After an initial failure, it developed a long-running cult following through midnight screenings that steadily built its box office total.

Do comedies with larger budgets also perform well?

Yes, films such as The Hangover, Wedding Crashers, and Barbie show that higher-budget comedies can also achieve massive global revenues.

Why does the comedy genre remain popular with audiences?

Comedy appeals across cultures and eras because it offers accessible entertainment, emotional relief, and stories that are easy to revisit.

About Sharon Vernick

Sharon Vernick is a global marketing director with Westinghouse Electric Company in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and sales, supporting large-scale energy technologies and international market positioning. Sharon Vernick holds an MBA in marketing and is a member of the American Marketing Association. Her work focuses on market analysis, brand differentiation, and executing integrated marketing campaigns across global platforms.