With the current movie landscape full of blockbuster action and superhero movies, billion-dollar-grossing releases are becoming a dime a dozen. However, a comedy movie is yet to reach that landmark number, even though many have tried. However, given that they also have much smaller budgets, some comedies have much higher net profits than those blockbusters.
While most releases and almost every animated movie have heavy elements of comedy, these are the highest-grossing, live-action comedies ever made. Between adaptations of TV shows and a ton of Hangover movies, these films massively outperformed what was expected of them.
The Hangover Part III (2013) - $362 Million
While the Part III was still a massive success in of its gross profit, it was actually a failure in every other way. The studio must have been disappointed by the outcome, especially considering that it made a whole $200 million less than its predecessor.
As Mr. Chow is the funniest character and everybody loves Alan, the third movie took it too far and became The Chow and Alan Show, sidelining the other main characters. Not only that, but the movie didn't even feature the token hangover (except for a post-credits scene) which kept even the biggest fans from seeing it.
Sex And The City (2008) - $418.7 Million
Whether it's Game of Thrones, TV shows have such niche audiences.
However, Sex and the City defied all expectations. The TV series' fanbase has surprisingly grown exponentially since it ended, as the movie overperformed at the box office, and its sequel made almost $300 million too. And not only have there been two massively successful movies, but the reunion series And Just Like That... has become a tentpole HBO Max show too.
The Intouchables (2011) - $426.5 Million
When it comes to overperforming at the box office, no other comedy has seen more phenomenal success than The Intouchables. The 2011 French movie might not be known as well as other comedies on the list, but it managed to find an overseas audience big enough to help it gross close to half a billion dollars.
The Intouchables has the biggest gross profit of not just any comedy movie of all time, but one of the biggest gross profits of any movie, regardless of genre, as it had a budget of just $10 million. There was a Hollywood remake titled The Upside, and while it made $127 million, it's nothing compared to the original's success.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) - $441.2 Million
Mrs. Doubtfire isn't just impressive because of how much money it made compared to other comedies, but also because of the year it was released. If the amount was adjusted for inflation, the film would be much higher on the list, as most of the other movies are late-2000s and 2010s comedies.
The movie has the potential to make even more money, as some fans of the film are campaigning for Mrs. Doubtfire's very own Snyder Cut. There are even rumors that an R-rated version of the movie exists due to Williams' adlibs.
The Hangover (2009) - $469.3 Million
The premise of The Hangover is tried and true, as characters waking up after a rough night only to attempt to retrace their steps is the concept for so many comedies. One of the best examples of this is the cult classic and underrated Dude, Where's My Car?. But, unfortunately, for as great as the Ashton Kutcher comedy is, it wasn't financially successful. At least not compared to The Hangover, which made close to half a billion dollars.
The movie's success was a huge surprise, as it was up against huge competition, including Up, which was in its second week when The Hangover was released. The movie had a budget of $35 million, and The Land of the Lost, the $100 million-budgeted Will Ferrell flick, was released the same weekend. And, against all odds, The Hangover far sured it at the box office.
Home Alone (1990) - $476.6 Million
While it could be argued that Home Alone had a lot more going for it than just being a comedy, as the festive tone and being released during the holiday season helped its odds greatly.
However, Home Alone achieved something totally impossible by today's standards. The movie held onto the number one spot at the box office for twelve consecutive weeks, proving that the movie's charm and appeal aren't primarily tied to being a Christmas film.
Bruce Almighty (2003) - $484.5 Million
Along with Robin Williams, Jim Carrey is one of the most bankable comedy actors ever. In the 2000s, fans would show up in droves to see anything he was in, and the best example of that is Bruce Almighty.
The film has a ridiculous premise, as it follows a field reporter (Carrey) who is granted the same powers as God, and it's the perfect vehicle for an eccentric Carrey performance and all of his improvisational body comedy. It just goes to show how much star power the actor has, as the movie was widely negatively received, but that didn't stop the movie from becoming the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 2003.
Meet The Fockers (2004) - $522.6 Million
While movies with puns for titles might seem like a novelty for films that go straight to DVD and Meet the Parents sequel doubled down on the ridiculousness of its predecessor, and the comedy in Fockers is cartoonish compared to the original.
Despite being hated by critics, the movie made a shocking $522 million. Not only does its box office success represent a feat for comedy movies, but it's Robert De Niro's highest-grossing movie too, which is shocking considering that he has been in so many classics.
Ted (2012) - $549.3 Million
It seems as if Seth MacFarlane used the Ted is all about a toy bear that comes to life, only he's a pot-smoking slacker with a vulgar vocabulary.
It's such a unique concept that hasn't been explored like this before, and Ted is one of the most quotable movies ever, which is how it managed to rake in over half a billion dollars. That's only the tip of the iceberg, as the bears were sold in retail stores, and Universal must have made tens of millions of dollars from them.
The Hangover Part II (2011) - $586.7 Million
Following the astronomical success of the first movie, The Hangover Part II was swiftly greenlit and arrived just two years later. The film didn't exactly reinvent the wheel, and far from it, as it actually had the exact same premise as the original, and the narrative had the same story beats too.
And that's exactly why it was such a success, as it took everything great about the original to its absolute extremes. The movie broke so many records, from becoming the highest-rated comedy to having the biggest opening for a movie released over Memorial Day weekend.
