Over the years, many hilarious completely flopped upon their original release, barely managing to recuperate their budget (if they were even able to do so at all). For a variety of reasons, many comedy movies fail to receive the love they deserve until later on.

Unfortunately, the past decade has seemed to continue this trend. Some of the most laugh-out-loud funny comedies have wound up being financial failures, despite consistently being able to get big laughs out of their viewers. Of course, the box office numbers are far from the most important indicator of a film's quality, especially when that film's primary goal is to make its viewers laugh. These recent comedy movies may have failed to attract huge audiences to the theater, but they don't fail to bring big laughs when they're needed most.

10 The Suicide Squad (2021)

Directed By James Gunn

When it comes to getting laughs out of the audience, few films from the 2020s managed to do so in a manner as explosive as The Suicide Squad. Written and directed by James Gunn, this DC Extended Universe film served as a sort-of follow-up to the 2016 feature, Suicide Squad, although it introduced a vast assortment of new characters and took the story in a drastically different direction.

Backed by an all-star ensemble cast, this action-packed comedy follows a team of lesser-known villains as they are forced to work together on a dangerous, world-saving mission. Despite receiving generally positive reviews, The Suicide Squad underperformed at the box office, failing to recuperate its 185 million dollar budget.

There is no sole explanation as to why the film bombed, as numerous factors likely contributed to its lack of success. Perhaps the most prominent factor was the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the film being released via HBO Max at the same time as it was put in theaters. The confusion surrounding the film's connection to the previous (and very poorly-rated) Suicide Squad certainly did not help its case, either.

9 Thelma (2024)

Directed By Josh Margolin

Among the most recent comedy movies to bomb at the box office is Thelma, written and directed by Josh Margolin. This hilarious film puts a silly twist on the idea of a revenge story, following 93-year-old Thelma Post as she sets off on a mission to reclaim the $10,000 she lost because of a telephone scam. Oscar nominee June Squibb consistently steals the show as Thelma, delightfully proving that her talent has only continued to grow over time.

Thelma manages to find the humor in getting older without ever feeling mean-spirited, making it a fun (and funny) watch for viewers young and old.

Despite its lighthearted tone and inspiring message, Thelma only managed to gross a little over 12 million dollars at the box office. This is not to say that reviews of the film have been negative, though. Thelma currently holds an impressive 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the highest-rated comedies of 2024. Thelma manages to find the humor in getting older without ever feeling mean-spirited, making it a fun (and funny) watch for viewers young and old.

8 Bros (2022)

Directed By Nicholas Stoller

In 2022, Universal Pictures released the groundbreaking film, Bros, making it one of the first romantic comedies from a major studio to feature a same-sex couple and a predominantly LGBTQ cast. The film stars Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane as Bobby and Aaron, a duo who begin to question their hesitance surrounding committed relationships when they find themselves falling in love with each other.

Bros is both hilarious and heartwarming, consistently offering both well-executed humor and much-needed representation. Bros was made on a budget of 22 million dollars, but wasn't able to make quite as much at the box office. Some have attributed the underwhelming performance to certain audiences' hesitation surrounding watching a film about a gay couple.

The fact that the film was released at the same time as Smile, Hocus Pocus 2, and Blonde surely didn't help either, with these other major movies stealing a large share of the spotlight. Despite its box office numbers, Bros remains a worthwhile watch for its laugh-out-loud humor and refreshing perspective.

7 The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent (2022)

Directed By Tom Gormican

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is easily among the most creative concepts explored by a comedy movie in the last few years. Released in 2022, this action-packed comedy film stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself, alongside Pedro Pascal, who plays Javi. Facing a dismal end to his career, Cage accepts an offer of one million dollars to attend the birthday party of Javi, an obsessive fan of Cage's work.

Thanks to its increasingly outlandish premise and lovable chemistry between Cage and Pascal, the film is a zany, comical ride from beginning to end. These elements didn't end up being enough to draw audiences to theaters, though, as The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent came just short of recuperating its 30 million dollar budget.

Being released at the same time as The Northman has been attributed to the film's less-than-stellar performance, with the two movies essentially dividing the potential audience in half. Regardless, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent remains a delightfully wacky experience, especially for those familiar with Cage's extensive career.

6 BlackBerry (2023)

Directed By Matt Johnson

When stripped down to its bare premise, BlackBerry does not sound like it would be quite as hilarious as it is. Inspired by real events, this 2023 Canadian film chronicles the massive rise in prominence of BlackBerry cell phones, before quickly changing pace and focusing on the abrupt downfall of the company soon after.

BlackBerry has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Thanks to the creative work of filmmaker Matt Johnson, BlackBerry does consistently manage to find the humor in this shocking story, frequently inserting moments of major laughter in the midst of the chaos. BlackBerry was made on a budget of only five million dollars, but still came up short of earning this much back.

However, this is not to say that BlackBerry was considered a failure. Rather, the film merely had a very limited release. BlackBerry went on to dominate the Canadian Screen Awards in May 2024, winning fourteen awards, including Best Picture. This biographical comedy proves that box office numbers aren't the clearest indicator of a film's success.

5 Palm Springs (2020)

Directed By Max Barbakow

The 2020 Max Barbakow film, Palm Springs, is far from a typical romantic comedy. Instead, this clever film infuses the genre with elements of science fiction, highlighting the story of two characters who begin to fall in love when trapped in a mysterious time loop together, being forced to relive the same day over and over again.

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti star as the pair trapped in the Groundhog Day-esque scenario, with Oscar winner J.K. Simmons also playing a major role. Because of its very limited release, Palm Springs made less than two million dollars at the box office, falling short of its budget of five million dollars.

However, the film proved to be much more successful on the streaming service, Hulu, where its viewership numbers were massive. Palm Springs even managed to earn two Golden Globe nominations, one for the film itself and one for Samberg's performance. This inventive rom-com may have flopped theatrically, but it did find a loving audience eventually.

4 Joy Ride (2023)

Directed By Adele Lim

The idea of four friends going on a crazy vacation together isn't exactly the most groundbreaking concept in the world of comedy, but Joy Ride goes above and beyond, taking the premise to some of the furthest extremes imaginable. The exciting film stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu as a quartet of friends sharing a vacation in Asia full of bonding and absolute craziness.

With a screenplay by Family Guy's Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, viewers can be sure they're in for some major laughs. Unfortunately, Joy Ride did not bring as many people to theaters as many were expecting. The film's box office run only produced a little under sixteen million dollars, less than half of its total budget.

Despite its poor performance in theaters, Joy Ride remains a laugh-out-loud spectacle for comedy lovers everywhere, certainly one that never shies away from raunchy situations and gross-out humor. If those elements are what you're looking for in a comedy, Joy Ride will be right up your alley.

3 The King Of Staten Island (2020)

Directed By Judd Apatow

When it comes to the comedy movies of the 2000s and beyond, few filmmakers are better known than Judd Apatow. While tons of his movies have experienced massive success, some have managed to slip through the cracks over the years. One such film is The King of Staten Island, a semi-autobiographical film starring the acclaimed comedian Pete Davidson in his most personal role to date.

Although the film does touch on serious topics inspired by Davidson's own life, it remains unafraid to find humor even in rather grim situations. Sadly, The King of Staten Island essentially fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic. The film was originally set to premiere in the spring of 2020, but theater closures and festival cancellations sent the release into disarray.

It eventually made its way into select theaters in various countries, but only managed to make back less than three million of its 35 million dollar budget at the box office. The theatrical release of The King of Staten Island may not have gone as planned, but the film remains a refreshingly honest addition to the world of modern comedy.

2 Renfield (2023)

Directed By Chris McKay

Every so often, a film comes around that blends two genres that could not seem further apart: comedy and horror. One recent example of a film achieving this feat is Renfield, a 2023 horror-comedy directed by Chris McCay. Inspired by characters from the classic Bram Stoker novel, Dracula, Renfield opts to follow the story of Dracula's primary associate and helper, who has found himself growing tired of his connection to the fearsome vampire over the years.

With Nicholas Hoult as Renfield and Nicolas Cage as Dracula, the film offers a very comedic spin on the classic horror characters.

With Nicholas Hoult as Renfield and Nicolas Cage as Dracula, the film offers a very comedic spin on the classic horror characters. Renfield may have impressed its audiences with its clever mix of genres, but the sizes of those audiences were definitely not quite what the filmmakers had hoped they would be.

The unusual film made less than thirty million dollars at the global box office, less than half of what it cost to make the movie. A potential explanation for the lack of success could be the general confusion regarding whether Renfield would be more of a horror or a comedy. This uncertainty sadly kept many potential viewers from heading to the theater, not realizing how humorous the film would be.

1 The Nice Guys (2016)

Directed By Shane Black

Shane Black's 2016 buddy comedy, The Nice Guys, may have finally found a loving audience in recent years, but it wasn't the immediate hit that some were expecting it to be. This action-heavy comedy film stars Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling as an unlikely partnership tasked with investigating some mysterious events unfolding in 1970s Los Angeles.

Many elements helped The Nice Guys become a fan favorite over time, including the undeniable chemistry between its stars, its clever story, and its dazzling setting. The Nice Guys did manage to recuperate its budget at the box office, but not by nearly as much as the studio would have been hoping.

Timing proved to be a massive issue for the film's release, as two other major comedies (Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and The Angry Birds Movie) premiered in theaters at the same time. Because these other films were based on pre-existing properties, The Nice Guys (being an original idea) was largely overshadowed. Fortunately, this hilarious comedy film did manage to make people laugh in later years thanks to streaming services.