Comedies on the rebound

Here is a breakdown of the top 4 genres in terms of spec script sales in 2008:

Comedy: 35
Action: 13
Drama: 12
Thriller: 10

Here is 2009:

Comedy: 26
Thriller: 12
Action: 11
Drama: 7

Here is 2010:

Comedy: 16
Action: 14
Thriller: 10
Science Fiction: 7

See a pattern? Comedy is always #1 on the list. In fact, if you check out the The Definitive Spec Script Sales List from 1991, comedy is almost always at the top of the list.

But then came 2011:

Action: 29
Thriller: 20
Comedy: 19
Drama: 14

And 2012:

Action: 29
Thriller: 20
Comedy: 20
Science Fiction: 12

In both years, comedy dropped to third place. There are a number of possible reasons for that, but here is one I know is part of the conventional wisdom being tossed about in Hollywood: Comedy doesn’t travel well in international markets. Humor is subjective and local, so what’s funny in the United States may not be funny in Brazil, Russia, India, China and beyond. This answer is buttressed by the fact that Action and Thriller top the list the last two years, both more heavily reliant on action, which is more visual and therefore foreign friendly, than Comedy which can be more about dialogue (read: jokes, punch lines, witty banter) that may not translate well overseas.

This was a cause for concern for me primarily because I write comedy. Moreover I enjoy comedy. So a little paranoid voice in my head squeaked, “Is this the death of comedy?”

Uh, no. At least not per a recent article in TheWrap:

What started out as very weak year for movie comedies has turned into a knee-slapper — at least at the box office.

With the surprisingly resilient “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” heading for $100 million, and “Anchorman: The Legend Continues” a virtual lock to do so, eight live-action comedies will hit the century mark at the box office this year, according to Box Office Mojo.

That’s a lot, at least compared to last year, when only four comedies managed the feat, and 2011, when five hit that mark. And it’s particularly impressive since the year started so slowly for film comedies; only one released prior to June — “Identity Thief” — will make the list.

What’s the reason? The article conjectures it has something to do with the quality of these eight movies. Also the enjoyment factor, how people like to laugh along with a crowd at a good comedy. But here is a perspective I share:

BoxOffice.com editor-in-chief Phil Contrino thinks there’s more at play than just a good year.

“More and more we’re seeing the release schedule filled with superhero movies and ‘Hunger Games’-type films that take themselves very seriously,” he said. “I think part of what’s happening is a reaction to that — people are very ready to see something that might be goofy or stupid, but doesn’t take itself so seriously.”

You think? After dozens of superhero movies where — shock! — the fate of the world is at stake — shock! — again, all that doom, gloom, and post-apocalyptic angst may very well have set the table for a rebound in comedies.

Let’s hope so. There are too many great comic actors and writers out there to be squashed by the supremacy of the international market. Besides don’t people in Brazil, Russia, India and China have to laugh, too?

One big takeaway for screenwriters: R-rated comedies seem to be ruling the day, so raunchy humor have a bit more heat than other types of comedy.

For the rest of the article, go here

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