Comedy movies were once a thriving genre in Hollywood. But now it seems that all we see in theaters are action movies attempting to build a cinematic universe. What happened to comedies? Political correctness and polarization may dictate what is considered funny. At the same time, Hollywood executives seek to avoid financial risk by investing in big-budget action movies. Combined with the international box office, technological changes and reliance on preexisting intellectual property, Hollywood has abandoned pure comedy movies.

The usage of streaming services and decline of physical media prevent theatrical releases for comedies. Moviegoers’ habits have changed from quickly going to the theater to being willing to wait to see a movie at home. These technological factors also impact how families spend their money. The shift in consumers buying on-demand and digital copies of films has hurt the sales of DVDs and a subsequent dependence for comedies. If a mid-budget movie, which comedies tend to be, flopped at the box office, DVD sales could still earn the movie some profit. Although a box office success, the 2009 comedy

The Hangover

earned over $277 million from its domestic theatrical run but nearly earned double the box office with video sales of $243 million. Now that DVDs are obsolete in a digital age, comedies no longer have this guaranteed safety net. Recently, comedies land on streaming services to avoid financial risks and somewhat fade into obscurity.

Globalization and name recognition drive Hollywood today. In the past, most movie genres were produced primarily for the domestic audience. But in the 2010s, Hollywood started to rely on the international box office. If you have noticed the oversaturation of action movies with a disposable CGI army and a third act skybeam, it is because such movies perform the best overseas. A 2014

Quartz

study found that in China, American comedies accounted for only 10% of box office spending compared to 25% in the United States. Hollywood action movies, however, accounted for 44% in the Chinese box office and 36% in America. From the prioritization of certain genres for overseas appeal, comedies were hurt the most from this globalization. Certain comedies, especially dialogue driven ones, contain jokes that may not translate as well for international audiences.

Studios have also taking the financial risk of producing original, mid-budget comedy movies. Hollywood instead relies on movies based upon preexisting intellectual properties to rake in the most money. Audiences recognize big names like Marvel or

Star Wars

, so studios invest in well-known franchises to ensure a box-office success of over $1 billion. The low-risk high-reward payoffs of sequels and reboots are now the standard in Hollywood which has abandoned the diversity of other genres.

Comedies have not completely disappeared but rather morphed. In some cases, the genre fused with action movies, such as the latest Marvel installments.

Deadpool

contained humor akin to 2000s raunchy comedies while also being a superhero movie. Even some animated movies could be considered comedies for the whole family. But if you want a pure comedy to make you burst out laughing even at irreverent material, you are seemingly out of luck.

Comedies are not made anymore because of the risks of offending others and struggling at the box office. However, recent big-budget movies have flopped over the past few years too, a possible sign of franchise fatigue and oversaturation of comic book movies. Five years after the billion-dollar success of its predecessor, the $200 million budget of

Joker: Folie à Deux

was not enough for the film’s $150–200 million loss. The second-week drop of 81% and “D” rank on CinemaScore did not help either.

The recent cinematic flops over the past three summers should signal Hollywood to invest in mid-budget movies. New, smaller-budget films can be risky for executives, but the recent $200 million flops hurt just as much. It is clear from recent box-office failures that audiences want something new.