Actor Adam DeVine has blamed the rise of Marvel superhero movies for the decline in comedy movies in Hollywood.
DeVine, who has appeared in movies like Pitch Perfect, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and Magic Camp, has shared a hypothesis on why the theatrically released studio comedy has faded away in recent years. He blames the rise of superhero movies as a contributing factor to the disappearance of the genre that he is most prevalent in.
On an episode of This Past Weekend with Theo Von, he said, “My theory is I think, I think like Marvel ruined it. I feel like superhero movies kind of ruined comedies. Because people go to the theater, and you expect to watch something that costs $200 million to make, and comedy movies aren’t that.”
“So you’re like, ‘Well, why would I spend the same amount of money to go watch a little comedy in a theater if I could spend the same amount of money and go see something that is, is worth $200 million?” Devine added.
“And they still make those movies kind of funny, like, ‘Oh my god, is that raccoon talking? This is hilarious!’ Which it is, but it’s not a real comedy,” he continues, alluding to Rocket Raccoon in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
“Every studio used to put out several comedies a year,” Devine noted. “And there were like 45 comedies in the theater per year. So every week or so, there’s a new comedy in the theaters. Now, last year, there was like 6 or 7. It’s crazy.”
DeVine later clarified his comments on Twitter, saying, “I like Marvel and think these movies are cool. I was saying that studios (in trying to compete with Marvel) have stopped making mid budget comedies. I miss seeing comedy in the theaters!”
DeVine most recently appeared in The Out-Laws, a Netflix movie that co-stars Pierce Brosnan, Nina Dobrev, and Ellen Barkin. He portrays “a straight-laced bank manager about to marry the love of his life, Parker. When his bank is held up by the Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he believes his future in-laws who just arrived in town are the infamous outlaws.”
The film is now streaming on Netflix.
