Seth Rogen says Marvel movies are “$200 million comedies”

Seth Rogen thinks the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe makes comedies a much harder sell to moviegoers than they were before.

There have been 23 movies so far set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they cover a variety of tones. The main theme is always action — these are superhero flicks, after all — but there have been other themes. Let’s not forget some of the darker scenes that came at the end of movies like Avengers: Infinity War.

Another theme that pops up a lot, particularly in movies like Ant-Man and Thor: Ragnarok: comedy. In fact, according to Seth Rogen, there’s enough comedy in the MCU to satisfy a lot of moviegoers, making it harder for more traditional comedies to break through.

“Something that me and [producing partner] Evan [Goldberg] talk about a lot is how Marvel movies are comedies,” Rogen told GamesRadar. “Thor: Ragnarok is a comedy. Ant-Man is a comedy at its core. So that’s what’s out there. There are $200 million comedies out there, and so that’s something, as a comedic filmmaker, to be aware of. That is the benchmark that people expect!”

"If you’re going to make a big huge comedy, just know that your competition is like Marvel. Not to say you should not make those types of films, but know that’s what audiences are seeing, and that, when you see those movies in theaters, they are playing like comedies. They are legitimately funny and star comedy stars."

Paul Rudd certainly fits that bill. Before Ant-Man, he was best known for stuff like Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and This Is 40.

And this isn’t just limited to movies made by Marvel Studios. The Deadpool movies, for example, bring the comedy fast and furious. “Audiences still love comedy, and they want that – Deadpool – but the scope of them is huge,” Rogan said. “So when you’re not offering them that scope, you have to think, ‘What am I offering them?’ That’s why something like Good Boys does well, because we’re not offering scope.”

Everything being equal, Rogen said he prefers to make movies that are more relatable to audiences, rather than the out-of-this-world experiences Marvel brings to the table. “What we’re offering is pure comedy and emotion and relatability and nostalgia,” he said. “You don’t get to see the God of Thunder being hilarious, but you get to see something that maybe represents your actual life, and that’s very gratifying in another way.”

It’s evident that Seth Rogen isn’t against superhero movies. In fact, he’s currently an executive producer on Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys, and let’s not forget he starred in that Green Hornet movie a while back.

I think he’s mostly concerned over his preferred style of comedy being overshadowed by the almighty presence of the MCU.

You can watch Rogen in his latest movie, An American Pickle, streaming on HBO Max.

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