The greatest comedy movies of all time have kept audiences laughing for generations, but which of these hilarious classics made the most money at the box office? Comedy is the most subjective genre in cinema by far, and it’s rare that a film perfectly aligns with the tastes of a broad audience. Even so, the classics shine through.
The comedies that stand the test of time not only make viewers laugh, but leave an impression on popular culture as a whole. Whether they inspire the next generation to make their own films, or simply enter the popular lexicon with memorable quotes, the best comedies make a huge impact. Sometimes that translates to big numbers at the box office.
Comedy is typically a low-risk and high-reward genre to produce. Lower costs mean bigger profits, and a comedy need not make blockbuster cash to be a hit. Nevertheless, many of the greatest comedies ever made either fared poorly or didn’t live up to financial expectations. On the other hand, some were massive hits at the box office that broke records.
This is not a list of the highest-grossing comedies. Instead, it focuses on the quality of the individual films and the cultural impact that the movies made. They are ranked by their box office numbers, but that doesn’t necessarily speak to the legacy of the films. These movies are bona fide masterpieces, regardless of how much money they made.
10
Duck Soup (1933) – $106 Thousand
Generally considered a financial disappointment upon release, Duck Soup is now regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. The Marx Brothers gem sees the nation of Freedonia install a new dictator who declares war against their neighboring country. Duck Soup features the best bits from the classic Marx Brothers act, and is jam-packed with laughs.
Financial data for the film is somewhat spotty, so its box office history is unclear. Putting that aside, Duck Soup remains a comedy classic, and it influenced decades of big screen humor. From snappy dialogue to uproarious physical comedy, all 70 minutes of the film are funny. Nearly 100 years later, Duck Soup persists as a classic.
9
Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975) – $5.7 Million
Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a modest financial success because it cost so little to make. The British sketch group brings their wit to the big screen in a comic retelling of the King Arthur legend, but that description is only part of the story. Absurdity and surrealism persist throughout, and the film never stops evolving.
It’s endlessly quotable, and jumps from thoughtful humor to juvenile jokes with relative ease. Monty Python and the Holy Grail never takes its foot off the gas, and barrels over the audience with one memorable scene after the other. Few classic comedies put so much into so little, and it arguably has the highest laughs-per-minute of any humorous flick.
8
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) – $6 million
This is Spinal Tap is a spoof of aging rockers, and is partly responsible for the abundance of mockumentaries seen today. A documentary crew follows the titular band around, and chronicles all of their comic foibles. Christopher Guest and his co-stars live the roles, and many of the laughs come from the cringe-inducing absurdity of it all.
This is Spinal Tap has a life outside the comedy sphere, and is gleefully accepted by the music community. Famous moments such as the amplifier that goes to 11 are still quoted to this day. Its modest financial success is not really part of its legacy, and Spinal Tap‘s cult classic status lives on through the genre it helped create.
7
The Great Dictator (1940) – $11 Million
A list of the greatest comedies of all time could be populated exclusively by Charlie Chaplin films, but The Great Dictator is the screen icon’s best. In a bold spoof of Nazi Germany, Chaplin assumes dual roles as a goofy dictator and a poor Jewish man trying to escape persecution. It’s a comedy classic that is elevated by its importance.
The Great Dictator is Chaplin’s most successful film, both financially and as a statement. The humor comes from its boldness, and Chaplin isn’t afraid to spit in the eye of evil. The movie’s prescience and clarity is still astounding all these years later, and The Great Dictator is proof that comedy is a vehicle of resistance.
6
Some Like It Hot (1959) – $25 Million
Billy Wilder’s Some Like it Hot is cinema’s greatest farce, and it is the perfect melding of Old Hollywood with shockingly modern humor. Two musicians witness a mob killing and go into hiding as women in a traveling band to escape the hitmen on their tails. Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis have electric chemistry, and Marilyn Monroe brings the glamor.
The smash hit proves that comedy has always been edgy, even in a time of strict censorship. Some Like it Hot uses humor to dissect gender politics, and it has held up surprisingly well. It isn’t just a quaint little slice of ’50s cinema, it’s a farcical masterpiece to which nearly every comedy owes a debt of gratitude.
5
Shaun Of The Dead (2004) – $31 Million
Shaun of the Dead is the funniest comedy of the 2000s, and has since become an all-time classic. A bored store clerk finds a new lease on life when a zombie outbreak consumes the suburbs of London. Director Edgar Wright combines his love of cinema with his rapier wit to produce a film that is more than a zombie spoof.
It’s an effective horror comedy because it clearly cares for its source material. The chemistry of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make the film a cozy watch, and it’s the type of movie that gets better after repeated viewings. Because it cost so little, Shaun of the Dead made a lot of money at the box office.
4
The Big Lebowski (1998) – $48 Million
Though the Coen brothers have branched out to other genres, their contributions to comedy are their lasting creative legacy. The Big Lebowksi is the story of an aging slacker who accidently gets wrapped up in a criminal conspiracy. The film succeeds on two levels, and is an uproarious comedy as well as a dissection of Baby Boomer apathy.
The Dude has spawned his own philosophy, and The Big Lebowski is still celebrated by a legion of devotees. Underneath that is an incredibly clever parody of detective stories, and a heaping helping of social commentary. Its modest financial success is overshadowed by its ongoing cultural relevance, and The Big Lebowski has transcended cult classic status.
3
Airplane! (1980) – $83 Million
Despite being a screwball comedy, Airplane! is one of the highest-grossing films of its era. The movie makes fun of the airport disaster flicks that were popular at the time, and concerns an ex-pilot who must land a doomed passenger plane. Because the humor comes out of left field, every joke is a surprise.
Leslie Nielsen’s stern performance is arguably the funniest in cinema history, and every line in Airplane! is quotable. Ironically, the spoof has outlived the films it’s parodying, and is the finest example of absurdist screwball humor ever put on screen. Decades later, Airplane! has clearly inspired modern cringe humor and burgeoning outsider genres.
2
Young Frankenstein (1974) – $86 Million
Mel Brooks is a living legend, and Young Frankenstein is his best work as a filmmaker. In a parody of the Universal horror films of the ’30s, Dr. Frankenstein inherits his grandfather’s estate and decides to continue his experiments. Clever and subtle, Young Frankenstein is a beautifully crafted film with tons of laughs.
Gene Wilder’s leading performance is Oscar worthy, and the ensemble elevates Young Frankenstein. What’s most amazing about the film is its care and craft, and it gets the little details right. It’s as much a tribute as it is a spoof, which makes things even funnier. Making $86 million on a $2 million budget, it’s an extremely profitable classic.
1
Blazing Saddles (1974) – $119 Million
Few comedies make over $100 million in any era, and Blazing Saddles is a rare combo of financial success and uproarious laughs. Mel Brooks’ western spoof involves the new sheriff of a small town who must face racism and a group of bandits. There isn’t a hot-button topic that the movie doesn’t dance around, but it does so deftly.
To call Blazing Saddles a smash-hit would be an understatement. The poignant humor is of its time and timeless simultaneously, and the film continues to age like fine wine. It firmly places comedy at the forefront of a cultural revolution, allowing laughs to soften the blows of the turbulent years in the rearview mirror.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, EBSCO
Source link
