Comedian Adam Devine believes Marvel Studios and superhero movies, in general, have killed audiences’ passion for cinematic comedies.
Speaking on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, Devine lamented the fact that Hollywood doesn’t greenlight as many theatrical comedies as it used it due to the superhero trend. “My theory: I think Marvel ruined it. I feel like superhero movies ruined comedies because you go to the theater and you expect to watch something that cost $200 million to make, and comedy movies aren’t that,” Devine said. “So you’re like, ‘Why would I spend the same amount of money to go watch a little comedy in the theater if I can spend that and watch something that is worth $200 million?’”
The actor, who largely rose to fame through a leading role in the hit comedy series Workaholics and his supporting part in Pitch Perfect, furthered his argument by stating that he believes Marvel movies have become the new standard for comedy given how many Marvel Cinematic Universe films include a decent amount of humor.
“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… Every studio used to put out several comedies a year,” Devine continued. “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.”
Hollywood’s Superhero Obsession
Devine isn’t the only prominent star to call out Marvel Studios’ impact on Western filmmaking. High-profile directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Roland Emmerich are among just a few of the filmmakers that have gone on record to decry Hollywood’s love of superheroes, with many stating that the oversaturation of the genre is having detrimental effects on the industry. Despite this, Marvel Studios still maintains a solid presence in pop culture, despite a recent dip in critical and commercial successes with the likes of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion.
Devine’s latest project is the Netflix comedy The Out-Laws which is now available to stream.
