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Seth Rogen says Marvel makes 'legitimately funny' comedies

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: Seth Rogen attends the 33rd American Cinematheque Award Presentation Honoring Charlize Theron at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 08, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)
Seth Rogen attends the 33rd American Cinematheque Award Presentation, 2019. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)

Over the last decade, fewer and fewer comedies have been released in cinemas, as studios have instead focused on superhero movies, reboots, and sequels.

At the same time, though, Seth Rogen has found a lot of success with the likes of 50/50, This Is The End, Neighbours, The Night Before, Sausage Party, Blockers, and Good Boys, either as an actor, writer, director, or producer. Or, sometimes, all four.

During a recent conversation with Games Radar, Rogen opened up about the changing cinematic landscape for comedies, saying that people need to remember that the “Marvel movies are comedies.” This is something that he talks a lot about with his producing partner Evan Goldberg.

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“[We] talk about a lot is how Marvel movies are comedies. Thor: Ragnarok is a comedy. Ant-Man is a comedy at its core. So that's what's out there. There are $200 million (£153 million) comedies out there, and so that's something, as a comedic filmmaker, to be aware of. That is the benchmark that people expect!”

Rogen and his creative partner Evan Goldberg often call Marvel movies comedies (Image by Marvel Studios)
Rogen and his creative partner Evan Goldberg often call Marvel movies comedies (Image by Marvel Studios)

“If you're going to make a big huge comedy, just know that your competition is like Marvel. Not to say you should not make those types of films, but know that's what audiences are seeing, and that, when you see those movies in theatres, they are playing like comedies. They are legitimately funny and star comedy stars.”

Rogen’s comments were in no way derogatory, instead he just wanted to point out that “these huge budget films function like comedies,” which also proves that “audiences still love comedy.” It’s just that they also want a huge “scope,” too.

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“So when you're not offering them that scope, you have to think, 'What am I offering them?' That's why something like Good Boys does well, because we're not offering scope. What we're offering is pure comedy and emotion and relatability and nostalgia. That's the trade-off.”

“You don't get to see the God of Thunder being hilarious, but you get to see something that maybe represents your actual life, and that's very gratifying in another way.”