June 12, 2026 — 7:00pmRemember when we used to laugh at the cinema? Not just chuckling at one-liners in a superhero flick, but slapping your knee every two minutes. There’s only one genre that specialises in such rapid-fire comedy: spoofs.Parody films abounded between the 1970s and early 2000s, leaving audiences in stitches with their absurd slapstick and pop-cultural references. From Flying High to Team America: World Police, spoofs rarely failed to hit the funny bone.Spoof movies were all the rage a few decades ago, but are they gearing up for a comeback?Compiled by Michael HowardBut by about 2010, something had soured. Parodies were still plentiful, but they continuously fell flat. In 2007, Jason Friedberg’s Epic Movie poked fun at blockbusters like Narnia and Pirates of the Caribbean, but it hardly lived up to its title, receiving a dismal 2 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. Disaster Movie (2008), meanwhile, scored an even worse 1 per cent for its satirical take on natural disaster flicks.Other spoofs of this era were similarly panned, including Vampires Suck, which parodied the Twilight franchise, and The Starving Games, which spat in the face of The Hunger Games. Many of these films were criticised for lazy writing, a lack of narrative structure and for taking some low blows (such as Disaster Movie making light of Amy Winehouse’s alcoholism).These movies appeared to mark the end of the spoof’s golden era, and few filmmakers dared go near the genre in years following. Parodies didn’t dry up entirely, of course. Films such as Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019), Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021) and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) still trickled out to moderate success. However, most of these titles went straight to streaming. If you wanted to laugh, you had to do so at home rather than the multiplex.Now, suddenly, some of the most famous spoof franchises, including Scary Movie, The Naked Gun and Spaceballs, are returning to the big screen.Last week, the sixth Scary Movie landed in cinemas, 12 years after the previous film. Many fans wished the rebooted instalment would deliver the ludicrous energy of the first and second of the franchise’s movies, which smashed the box office and established the Wayans brothers as parody connoisseurs. What they didn’t want was a return of the lacklustre, overly sanitised fifth film, which premiered during the bleak 2010s period.Marlon Wayans (right) and his brothers have returned to the Scary Movie franchise after nearly 25 years.Quantrell ColbertIt seems these wishes were granted. Scary Movie 6 significantly exceeded its opening box office projections. It even beat the other major IP release that week, Masters of the Universe, which had a $US170 million budget compared to Scary Movie’s modest $US30 million.The tides were arguably already turning before Scary Movie. Last year, Paramount released The Naked Gun, a remake of David Zucker’s police parody franchise, 31 years after the previous film. Not only were audiences intrigued by the real-life chemistry between its leading stars Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, but critics also called it “outrageously amusing”. Against a $US42 million budget, it managed to gross nearly $US102 million worldwide.Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson starred in The Naked Gun reboot.Jim O’Hanlon’s Fackham Hall also landed last year, spoofing period dramas like Downton Abbey. Starring Jimmy Carr and Tom Felton, it impressed audiences enough to earn a 74 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And the late Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues was deemed by a Roger Ebert critic as “funny and a wee bit poignant”.More spoofs are on the horizon too. Spaceballs 2 is slated for 2027, starring Josh Gad and bringing 99-year-old Mel Brooks back to produce. This will resurrect the cult 1987 classic which made fun of popular sci-fi series like Star Wars.So, what’s behind this sudden resurgence? It could simply be a sign of the times. The world is becoming increasingly absurd, especially the realm of politics. While some may argue it’s passed the point of parody, others perhaps see spoofs as an opportunity to make light of a world that is increasingly difficult to comprehend. The best way to combat ridiculousness may be with more ridiculousness.Another likely reason is the gradual comeback of mid-budget cinematic fare. Some audiences, fatigued by big-budget blockbusters and superhero franchises, are craving smaller productions that deliver more laughs. It’s becoming apparent that not every film has to cater to every “quadrant”. Rather some movies, including spoofs, can successfully cater to niche audiences.Mel Brooks (centre) with Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis, stars of Spaceballs.Alamy Stock PhotoThat being said, Scary Movie 6’s reviews have not been faultless, indicating a wobblier return than initially expected. The Guardian said it “beat certain scenes to the ground” while Vulture argued it didn’t take certain jokes far enough.It should also be noted that most recent and upcoming spoof movies are legacy franchises, meaning they lean heavily on nostalgia rather than fresh ideas. It remains to be seen whether original spoofs can hold their own at today’s box office. That’s unlikely, if Fackham Hall is any indication. It was received relatively well by critics, but its ticket sales still tanked.Perhaps we’re not yet ready for a full-on spoof comeback. Or maybe we are, but, just like prestige dramas and romcoms, they’re only truly welcome on smaller screens.Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.Nell Geraets is a Culture reporter at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners