2026 Will Confirm a Dying Movie Genre Has Been Saved From Extinction (& 2027 Makes It Even Better)

One of the things that went away about 10 years back, as at least a chunk of society started to grow more politically correct, was the theatrical studio comedy. Even though they’re modestly budgeted the big studios started to see them as substantial risks and lightning rods for controversy. And in spite of expressions about how there’s no such thing as truly bad press when it comes to attracting attention to a product, that seemingly doesn’t really apply to movies, when millions are spent on both the product and its marketing. And, as theatrical comedies became a rarity, parody films became outright dinosaurs.

Then, last year, The Naked Gun managed to do better than many were expecting, both critically and commercially. It had legs at the box office, which seemed to open a certain door. Spoof movies are back, with legacy continuations of two other subgenre classics en route.

How Will Scary Movie and Spaceballs 2 Do?

A lot of people turned out for Ghostface during Scream 7‘s opening weekend. And all who did got the first taste of Michael Tiddes’ Scary Movie, which brings the Wayans brothers back to their brainchild for the first time in 25 years. Scream 7 caught a lot of headlines, but there’s an argument that this trailer caught nearly as many, with a few sharp gags and great usage of Eminem’s “Without Me.” Never have the lyrics “‘Cause we need a little controversy. ‘Cause it feels so empty without me” felt so tailor made for a particular film at a particular time of cultural history.

Scary Movie is going to be as big a hit as this newest Scream film. It could very well do even more business. Fans have received three total Ghostface films since 2022 and zero Scary Movies since 2013 (though most fans of the franchise would look at the wretched Scary Movie V and say they don’t know who that is). It’s more like we haven’t had a Scary Movie since 2006. Then again, for Wayans die hards, who see them as the architects of what makes the franchise what it is, we haven’t had one since Scary Movie 2.

Let’s just look at how the original Scream and Scary Movie performed. On a budget of $14 million, Scream was a huge hit. It did well weekend after weekend, accruing a lot of positive chatter until it ultimately left theaters with over $100 million stateside. Three years later, the original Scary Movie, which primarily parodied Scream, Scream 2, and I Know What You Did Last Summer, opened to a massive $42.3 million and, even with a big opening, also had legs. It made $157 million domestically and $121 million overseas. That’s absolutely massive for a comedy.

There’s reason to believe that this new one will perform similarly. It’s the second time this franchise has felt so perfectly timely. It’s the exact right time to capitalize on this new wave of rebootquels. Then there’s the fact that the original Scary Movie is still well-liked today. Its humor was risky in 2000 and it’s even riskier now, and that level of guts is scene as refreshingly different from the safer studio fare of today. The expectation from fans is that this new one is intentionally going to be just as gutsy and intentionally offensive. A lot of people want that these days, and while The Naked Gun opened the door the likely result is that Scary Movie is going to kick that cracked open door so hard it’s going to leave its hinges.

Then there’s Spaceballs 2, which will release at some point in 2027. Not an entirely large amount is known about the film so far ahead of its release, but there is one key factor that makes us believe it will be a big hit, as well. Not as big as Scary Movie, but big.

Like the original Scary Movie, the original Spaceballs also has a ton of fans decades later. It’s one of Mel Brooks’ most widely enjoyed films, right there alongside Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. The fact that Brooks, Bill Pullman, George Wyner, and Daphne Zuniga are all returning is going to get that fandom into the theater, no question. Furthermore, it’s Rick Moranis’ first movie in 30 years, so it also has a cultural curiosity factor to it because, like the late Catherine O’Hara, Moranis has a fanbase that covers several generations thanks to both his likability as a person and participation in projects with appeal that has stood the test of time (namely Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids).

Not to mention, while Disney’s time with Star Wars has had some hiccups, it’s also had some major highpoints like Andor. And, either way, Disney has allowed Star Wars to continue its firm grip on pop culture relevance. Now that we’re in a new era of Star Wars, and have been for about 10 years, parodying it is just as timely as parodying horror rebootquels.

Which are you more excited for, Scary Movie or Spaceballs 2? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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