No Hard Feelings Is Giving Theatrical Comedy Hope At The Box Office – And Hollywood Is Better For It

To put it mildly, comedies have been having a tough go in theaters over the last several years. The only two unqualified exceptions were “The Lost City” ($192.9 million worldwide) and “Ticket to Paradise” ($168.5 million worldwide) in 2022. Both of those movies were very much in the rom-com genre, and both of them featured two-hander star power, with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum anchoring the former, while George Clooney and Julia Roberts starred in the latter. All due respect to Andrew Barth Feldman, who co-stars in “No Hard Feelings,” but that name isn’t putting a lot of meat in seats. This one rested squarely on Jennifer Lawrence’s shoulders.

Meanwhile, the misses have missed big when it comes to comedy. Billy Eichner’s “Bros” arguably ranks as one of the most tragic bombs of the last couple of years, with the acclaimed film taking in less than $15 million worldwide. Only horror-comedy hybrids have snuck through, with “Cocaine Bear” and “M3GAN” serving as a couple of examples. There’s also “Jackass Forever,” but given that we’re talking about an unscripted film in that case, it occupies a slightly different space.

The only thing working against “No Hard Feelings” right now is its $45 million budget. Sony would probably need it to get closer to $100 million to be an unqualified success. That could be a stretch. Even so, the studio’s lucrative deal with Netflix should help make the film profitable after its theatrical run is over with (not to mention PVOD and cable rights). More importantly, it sends a signal to Hollywood that there is absolutely an audience for these films. Don’t abandon them, just make them sensibly and comedy can remain theatrically viable.