Romantic comedies used to be pretty dependable bets for success at the box-office. Yet in recent times their popularity has waned. What happened? Claude Brodesser-Akner outlined some of the prevailing theories:

• Dating and courtship have changed. Fewer people are getting married, and those who do are getting married later. Romantic comedies are no longer relevant to our love lives.
• Hollywood studios are putting less emphasis on them. They would rather have blockbuster movies with potential sequels that can guarantee cash-flow in future years.
• Audiences know that big scale Hollywood productions are best watched on big-screens, making the increasingly expensive tickets worth the price. Romantic comedies, in contrast, can just as easily be consumed at home, on a small screen, through Netflix.
• Quality talent, afraid of the bad reputation associated with romantic comedies, are staying away from the genre. Which means that the same few actors willing to do them are cast over and over again and audiences are getting tired.
• Romantic comedies are too mild. If people want movies about sex they prefer something more…extreme. Like Magic Mike. Or Twilight.

Read more about the different theories, some of the counter-arguments, and what studio executives have to say over here.

Source: Vulture

Via: Newmark’s Door