The Rewatchables ‘Neighbors’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan
Feb 23, 2021
Hosts discuss the decline of studio comedies, the career trajectories of actors like Zac Efron, and the disappointing sequel to 'Neighbors'. They also analyze the cultural impact of the movie and the evolution of humor in comedy films.
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End Of The Studio Comedy Peak
- The late-2000s/early-2010s studio comedy era peaked around 2010–2014 and then declined afterward.
- Movies shifted toward sequels and franchise thinking, making original mid-budget comedies rarer.
Why Comedies Left Theaters
- Comedy theaters struggled post-2014 as audiences shifted to TV and streaming for laughs.
- Horror maintained theatrical appeal while comedies found success more often as TV or niche films.
Franchising Changed Comedy Strategy
- Comedies began behaving like franchises with sequels and safer bets, reducing originality.
- That change made studios less willing to back mid-budget, one-off comedies.