For Hollywood, the landscape for big-screen comedies has become so grim that you almost have to laugh.
Some genres have dominated the cineplex in recent years, including special-effects-heavy blockbusters, family films and scream-in-your-seat horror movies.
But comedies? Not so much after the Covid-19 pandemic.
A recent spate of theatrical funnies is trying to change that. This month, studios have released one comedy after another, starting with Paramount Picturesโ reboot of The Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, and Walt Disneyโs more-than-20-years-later sequel Freakier Friday, which reunited Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.
Both received solid reviews from critics โ The Naked Gun notched an 87 per cent approval rating on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, while Freakier Friday got 74 per cent.
Next up is Searchlight Picturesโ The Roses, a remake of the 1989 film The War of the Roses, and Neonโs Splitsville, an original film about messy marriages starring Dakota Johnson.