This has been a strange decade for comedies. Thanks to the influx of action-packed superhero franchises, expectations for mainstream film-goers have changed, and the popular comedies that dominated theaters in the 1990s and early 2000s seem to be a thing of the past.
While some comedies have achieved both critical and financial success in the 2010s, others didn't fare so well. What all of the comedies on this list have in common is that they either lost money or barely broke even in theaters, which means they were box-office bombs. Some were hyped up by critics and enjoyed by fans of the genre, but none of them enticed the masses enough to earn solid profit margins. Here are the biggest comedy box-office bombs of the decade.
10 Ghostbusters (2016)
Who you gonna call? This re-imagining of the famous supernatural comedy with an all-female cast of ghost catchers received a lot of attention. Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, fans all over the world were excited for a feminist twist to the franchise, but the end result didn't match up to the hype.
The film only earned $125 million of its $350 million budget back, causing producers to abandon plans for a sequel. Instead, the original series will be revived with an upcoming sequel to 1989's Ghostbusters II entitled Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
9 How Do You Know (2010)
It's been a minute since a rom-com really wowed audiences, and this James L. Brooks film starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, and Jack Nicholson was a total flop. It's probably hard to find anyone who even knows this movie ever existed.
The film involves softball, corporate fraud, and elite NYC love triangles. How Do You Know was made on a $120 million budget, and it only made $49 million in theaters. Talk about a loss. Even though it has a solid cast, the movie suffers from bad dialogue and unrelatable situations.
8 The Guilt Trip (2012)
In 2012, Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand made a road trip movie together. Rogen plays a struggling businessman and Streisand his overbearing mother. The pair hit the road, ultimately tracking down an old fling from Streisand's past.
Another hackneyed familial rom-com, The Guilt Trip broke even at the box-office, earning $42 million after being shot on a $40 million budget. It turns out the movie lacks the laughs needed for widespread appeal, and its sluggish pacing bored audiences used to lots of flashy activity on the big screen.
7 Prince Avalanche (2013)
David Gordon Greene made this forgettable low-budget comedy about two men who spend the summer of 1988 repainting roads in a rural area destroyed by fires. The men, played by Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, get uncomfortably close over the course of the summer, yet they eventually form a bond.
Made with just $725,000, Prince Avalanche only drew in $442,000 during its theatrical release. It never got wide distribution, and there's nothing special about these fairly one-dimensional characters trying to learn more about themselves by being immersed in nature.
6 Happytime Murders (2018)
Yes, Melissa McCarthy starred in a film where puppets and humans co-exist. Yes, it's a film about police detectives who try to solve the multiple murders of retired sitcom stars. Yes, it was a total bomb.
Directed by the son of Jim Henson, Brian Henson, Happytime Murders lacks all of the qualities that made his father's films so memorable. Instead, it comes across as a Jeff Dunham skit in the Law & Order universe. Even a supporting cast including Maya Rudolph and Elizabeth Banks couldn't save this film, which earned back $27.5 million of its at least $40 million budget.
5 The Watch (2012)
Attempting to exist somewhere between Ghostbusters and Men In Black, The Watch follows a group of neighborhood watch friends who uncover a secret alien plot to take over the world. Starring Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn, and Richard Ayoade, The Watch manages to strip four of the decade's best comedic minds of their humor.
The film did not win audiences over, matching its $68 million budget with box-office revenues. Despite its talented cast, the movie makes of its sci-fi invasion theme a backdrop for stupid, gross-out humor and superficial gags. The Watch turns out to be, unfortunately, one long penis joke.
4 Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2013)
Another bro-y science fiction comedy flick, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is a sequel to the popular 2010 Hot Tub Time Machine. While the first film stood out with a premise that was a bit different from other comedies at the time, the sequel emphasizes the immature, misinformed undercurrent of humor that made its predecessor divisive.
Filmed with $18 million, the sequel earned back $13 million of it, putting an end to at least one male-centric comedic universe.
3 Fun Size (2012)
A Nickelodeon-produced film for teens, this fairly tame comedy was apparently too risque for many families expecting something a little more wholesome from the television network. Fun Size was the second film with the Nickelodeon label to get a PG-13 rating.
The movie follows a group of teens on Halloween. High schooler Wren loses her little brother while trick-or-treating, landing her in a world of parties, frantic searches, and romantic liaisons. None of the film's events, however, proved compelling or comedic enough for audiences. It didn't fare well in theaters, making back $11 million of its $14 million budget.
2 Drinking Buddies (2013)
This was underground horror star and director Joe Swanberg's go at a comedy, and, unfortunately, it didn't get the attention or distribution it needed to be a box-office success. With a cast like Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, and Ron Livingston, Drinking Buddies doesn't suffer from a lack of interesting characters or edgy humor. Instead, it's low-key style devoid of cheap gag humor kept its audience niche.
The movie was made with $1 million, and it only earned about a third of that back in theaters. Drinking Buddies was critically acclaimed, though, and continues to be seen as a lo-fi comedy classic.
1 CHIPS (2017)
A big-screen adaption of the cop television show from the 1970s and 1980s, CHIPS stars Dax Shepard and Michael Pena. Humdrum and stale, this buddy police comedy was actually written and directed by Shepard. He, somehow, was able to get Adam Brody and Vincent D'Onofrio on board to co-star.
It earned only $1 million more than its $25 million budget. Audiences were not impressed with its lazy humor, inconsequential action sequences, and wholly uninteresting characters.
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