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The Bulwark ·Smart escape

The Endangered Big Screen Comedy

by Sonny Bunch

Published 2026-07-10 08:09:29+00:00

If comedies that once filled theaters are vanishing, where will people go to laugh in the dark?

0:00 / 9:37 · Narrator Algieba

Context

Published on 10 July 2026, these reviews find a strange gap at the summer box office where the R-rated laugh used to be. While blockbusters use humor as a side dish, the adult comedy has largely moved to the quiet glow of living room streamers. By looking at two new theatrical releases—a sharp dinner party story and a piece of absurd humor—the piece asks whether laughing with strangers is a fading experience. It suggests the next cult classic might already be here, just waiting for a new generation to find it.

Show notes

An assessment of the decline of theatrical comedy through two new releases: the sex comedy The Invite and the strange, silly Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. These reviews compare different styles of humor to show how filmmakers are attempting to bring adult audiences back to the big screen. They also address the difficulty of building a cult following in an era of endless digital options.

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