Director Judd Apatow slammed for 'delusional' opinion about comedy films

Judd Apatow has been slammed for saying The Hangover would 'make a billion dollars' if it was made today, with his take being branded 'delusional.'. The 57-year-old director had been sharing his view on why comedy films have 'diminished' in recent years when he sparked backlash online. Speaking on the red carpet for Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary special at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, Judd was asked 'what happened to R-rated comedies in theaters,' with the interviewer noting that 'as a business it seems to have diminished quite a bit.'.

Judd responded: 'If one person with a great idea makes a hit then suddenly everyone wants to do it again. 'These things swing back and forth.'. He continued to Variety: 'If someone made something as funny as The Hangover right now, it would make a billion dollars, and everybody would be trying to do that. 'So, I think it ebbs, and it flows, and hopefully it will flow soon.'. Judd's take failed to garner support from social media users, however, with many pointing out that if The Hangover was made today, it would likely land on a streaming platform pretty quickly.

Judd Apatow has been slammed for saying The Hangover would 'make a billion dollars' if it was made today. The 2009 comedy film starred Zach Gailifanakis, Bradley Cooper, and Ed Helms. They also branded The Hangover a 'low bar.'. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one said: 'If someone made something as funny as The Hangover today, it would get a three-week limited run with absolutely no press or advertising, or it would be relegated to some streaming service that no one has heard of that cracks down on password sharing and DMCA any clips.'.

Echoing a similar sentiment, another wrote: 'If they made The Hangover today it would go straight to Netflix.'. A third posted: 'It would release straight to streaming and be forgotten within six months.'. 'His metric for successful comedy is The Hangover. This is why film comedy is so dire right now,' noted a fourth. Another said: 'The Hangover is such a low bar, it's not that no one is capable of making a comedy like that nowadays it's that we've created a cultural climate where nobody wants to.'.

'Many levels of delusion going on here!' a sixth added. A seventh penned: 'There have been many movies released that are as funny or funnier than The Hangover.'. Judd's take failed to garner support from social media users - and he was branded delusional. The first Hangover film made $469.3 million at the box office and was followed by two sequels. Weighing in on the state of comedy films, Judd said: 'I think it ebbs, and it flows, and hopefully it will flow soon'.

The first Hangover film, directed by Todd Phillips and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, made an impressive $469.3 million at the box office on a budget of $35 million. Released in 2009, the comedy starred Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha and followed the foursome as they travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. The movie was followed by two sequels; The Hangover Part II released in 2011 and set in Thailand, and The Hangover Part III, which was set in Bangkok and hit theaters in 2013.