“Why make a trillion when we could make… billions?”–Dr. Evil, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Comedies weave their way into American and cinematic culture like no other genre. After all, no one quotes lines from melodramatic tearjerkers. Comedy is simply essential and could never go out of style.
Following last month’s release of Hollywood.com’s 25 Highest Grossing Horror Films of All Time list, we decided to lighten the mood by unveiling the highest grossing domestic comedies of all time.
We have updated all earnings by tallying total domestic box office receipts for all movies in the genre, and then adjusted the performances to current U.S. average ticket prices to determine the final winners. So, to find out who truly got the proverbial “last laugh,” read on.
| Rank | Title | Gross Domestic Box Office | Adjusted Gross Domestic Box Office1 |
| 1 | Beverly Hills Cop (Paramount / 1984) | $234,760,478 | $433,887,669 |
| 2 | Home Alone (20th Century Fox / 1990) | $281,493,907 | $413,257,012 |
| 3 | Tootsie (Columbia Pictures / 1982) | $177,200,000 | $409,075,093 |
| 4 | Blazing Saddles (Warner Brothers / 1974) | $119,500,000 | $404,656,100 |
| 5 | National Lampoon’s Animal House (Universal Pictures / 1978) | $141,600,000 | $383,297,700 |
| 6 | Mrs. Doubtfire (20th Century Fox / 1993) | $219,194,773 | $321,796,582 |
| 7 | Three Men and a Baby (Touchstone Pictures / 1987) | $167,780,960 | $310,095,167 |
| 8 | Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me (New Line Cinema / 1999) | $205,444,716 | $305,218,107 |
| 9 | Beverly Hills Cop 2 (Paramount Pictures / 1987) | $151,663,265 | $280,306,213 |
| 10 | Meet the Fockers (Universal Pictures / 2004) | $279,167,575 | $279,167,575 |
| 11 | Liar Liar (Universal Pictures / 1997) | $181,395,380 | $269,489,309 |
| 12 | There’s Something About Mary (20th Century Fox / 1998) | $176,484,651 | $262,193,704 |
| 13 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding (IFC Films / 2002) | $241,437,427 | $258,059,625 |
| 14 | Porky’s (20th Century Fox / 1982) | $111,289,673 | $256,917,795 |
| 15 | Home Alone 2 (20th Century Fox / 1992) | $172,676,450 | $253,503,724 |
| 16 | Look Who’s Talking (Tristar Pictures / 1989) | $136,950,770 | $253,114,370 |
| 17 | Bruce Almighty (Universal Pictures / 2003) | $242,589,580 | $249,831,060 |
| 18 | Big Daddy (Columbia Pictures / 1999) | $163,479,795 | $242,873,093 |
| 19 | The Waterboy (Touchstone Pictures / 1998) | $161,487,252 | $239,912,879 |
| 20 | 9 to 5 (20th Century Fox / 1980) | $103,290,500 | $238,451,303 |
| 21 | Coming to America (Paramount Pictures / 1988) | $128,113,607 | $236,781,399 |
| 22 | Stir Crazy (Columbia Pictures / 1980) | $101,300,000 | $233,856,134 |
| 23 | Austin Powers in Goldmember (New Line Cinema / 2002) | $213,079,163 | $227,748,985 |
| 24 | Trading Places (Paramount Pictures / 1983) | $90,404,800 | $208,704,018 |
| 25 | Stripes (Columbia Pictures / 1981) | $85,297,000 | $196,912,405 |
| TOTALS | $4,287,081,722 | $7,169,107,020 |
Hollywood.com also compiled a list of highest grossing movies that bridged the comedy genre with either action or romance. Below are the top 10 films from this cross-genre group:
| Cross Genre | |||
| Rank | Title | Gross Domestic Box Office | Adjusted Gross Domestic Box Office1 |
| 1 | The Sting (Universal Pictures / 1973) | $156,000,000 | $570,514,300 |
| 2 | The Graduate (AVCO / 1967) | $104,642,560 | $547,295,400 |
| 3 | American Graffiti (Universal Pictures / 1973) | $115,000,000 | $420,571,400 |
| 4 | Men In Black (Columbia Pictures / 1997) | $250,147,615 | $371,630,787 |
| 5 | Smokey and the Bandit (Universal Pictures / 1977) | $126,737,428 | $363,730,700 |
| 6 | M.A.S.H (20th Century Fox / 1970) | $81,600,000 | $343,578,900 |
| 7 | Crocodile Dundee (Paramount Pictures / 1986) | $169,014,205 | $312,374,468 |
| 8 | Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Live Action) (Universal Pictures / 2000) | $260,031,035 | $299,590,487 |
| 9 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Touchstone Pictures / 1988) | $153,452,495 | $283,613,093 |
| 10 | Rush Hour 2 (New Line Cinema / 2001) | $226,138,454 | $248,113,039 |
| TOTALS | $1,642,763,792 | $3,761,012,575 |
