Top 10 Funniest End Credit Scenes in Comedy Movies

After “21 Jump Street” was received well by audiences, its sequel, “22 Jump Street”, garnered similarly favorable reviews. Part of the reason for its success was its satirical edge - “22 Jump Street” knew it was an unnecessary followup to a franchise reboot and leaned into that fact. The playful comedy doubled down on that commentary in the film’s credits. After the movie concludes, we see a series of fake set-ups and teasers for even more sequels. These proposed follow ups ranged from a Veterinary School film to a “Top Gun” parody subtitled Flight School. Surprisingly, these mid-credit scenes even had some unexpected cameos from stars like Bill Hader and Seth Rogen!

“Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” is a brilliant satire of the entertainment industry. It follows “The Style Boyz,” a pop rap boy band composed of the real life members of The Lonely Island. During the film, they disband, have solo careers, and then put aside their differences to reunite. As the credits roll, an additional scene plays featuring the film’s TMZ parody company, CMZ. The staffers initially begin mocking The Style Boyz for their heartfelt reunion. Suddenly, they become self aware and realize they would be better off if they mended relationships in their own lives. It becomes momentarily awkward before one character asks if anyone has a photo of “James Franco leaving a Denny’s”. This breakfast reference hilariously highlights the lows of tabloid journalism.

Like most Pixar films, “Monsters University” is just as funny as it is emotionally resonant. One of its best comedy moments involves a scene that plays after the credits! On the first day of school, a cutaway gag introduces a yellow slug monster. He hears the bell ring and begins “running” at a comically slow pace because he doesn’t want to be late for class. Although it looked like a one-off joke, there’s actually a secondary punchline for those who stay after the credits. In the post-credit scene, the monster is seen finally making it to class. …after the school year has already ended. The joke worked so well that Disney World even re-used the character in its “Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor” preshow.

A classic way to end a comedy film is with a series of bloopers featuring the cast and crew. “Grumpy Old Men”, “Josie and the Pussycats,” and even “A Bug’s Life” all feature funny flubs. One of our favorite blooper reels comes from the 1998 action comedy, “Rush Hour.” It’s ridiculously fun to see the typically flawless Jackie Chan miss his mark and have the humility to laugh about it. Chris Tucker is unsurprisingly funny as well. As the reel winds down, Tucker repeatedly fumbles a three word phrase in Chinese. Chan can’t help but tease his co-star while confirming that speaking certain lines in one’s non-native language can be difficult.

In “Napoleon Dynamite,” Napoleon’s older brother Kip often spends his days surfing the world wide web and chatting online with babes. That is, until he meets LaFawnduh. The pair of lovers eventually arranges to meet up. Although we were worried Kip would be stood up or get catfished, LaFawnduh surprisingly ends up being real and really in love with Kip. In an after credits scene, the pair get married. Kip takes the time to sing a hilariously awkward song about finding love online. This is followed by the couple riding away on the back of a “wild honeymoon stallion,” tamed by Napoleon. If only we could all be so lucky.

It’s hard to imagine a crazier bachelor party than the one that plays out in “The Hangover.” After a crazy night, the group of friends awaken dazed and confused in their hotel room. After retracing their steps to better understand what happened, they make it to the wedding by the movie’s end. It’s only there that the men discover photographic evidence of their night of debauchery. All of these wild photos appear during the credits. Thanks to these quick pics, we get to see events that were hinted at during the movie and fill in some small plot gaps too. Anyone who wants to fully understand the night the wolf pack had should look carefully at these funny photos.

Since Tom Cruise usually plays clean-cut and charming heroes, it was surprising to see him appear as a surly, balding studio executive Les Grossman in “Tropic Thunder.” Although his short temper and ruthless attitude would be punished in most comedies, he does come out on top. After actor Tugg Speedman wins the Oscar for a film he produced, Grossman celebrates with a hilarious post credits dancing sequence choreographed to Ludacris’s “Get Back. The producer has some surprisingly slick and entertaining dance moves. And this was definitely Cruise’s best dance scene since “Risky Business”. Overall, this fun credits sequence reminds that Cruise can do comedy just as well as he can do action.

It may come as a surprise that the second Austin Powers film, “The Spy Who Shagged Me” has not one, but three, scenes during and after its credits. Personally, we think they saved the best for last. In a callback to an earlier scene in which Will Ferrell’s henchman character Mustafa is shot off of a cliff by Mini-Me, the final scene features his disembodied voice yelling for help. Although we never see him emerge from the steep dropoff on-screen, the desperate voice acting alone is enough to paint a hilarious picture. Fans of Ferrell or Mustafa in general shouldn’t turn off this film until they witness this scene.

Throughout “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, the title character has the ability to completely see through the fourth wall. There are several scenes in which the protagonist pauses the events of the film to talk to the audience directly or give them a knowing look. This meta humor even continues after the credits. Just when we think we’re in for more of the story, Ferris pops around a corner and tells the audience that the movie is over and they should all get out. [SB: “go home.”] The gag has been parodied and referenced ever since. However, extra credit deserves to be given to 2016’s “Deadpool” for recreating that Bueller magic for its own post-credit scene. (x-ref)

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Gremlins 2: The New Batch” (1990)
Daffy Duck Fights Porky Pig for the Spotlight & Delivers Porky’s Signature Line

“The Spongebob Squarepants Movie” (2004)
Patchy & Friends Are Hilariously Kicked Out of the Theater

“Ghost World” (2001)
The Tormented Seymour Gets Even

“Wayne’s World” (1992)
Garth Worries No One Will Tell He & Wayne When to Leave

“Despicable Me” (2010)
The Minions Get Up Close & Personal in a Number of Credit-Interrupting Sequences

“Airplane!” is full of funny one-liners and visual gags that have stood the test of time. But one of its smallest plot points leads to one of its biggest laughs. Near the beginning of the film, the protagonist works as a taxi driver. But he abandons his cab passenger so he can participate in the rest of the movie’s events. If you stay after the film’s credits, you’ll get to see the person that was left waiting in that taxi. He decides to give the protagonist “another twenty minutes” to show back up. [SB: “But that’s it!”] Not only does this funny and unexpected call-back show how sharp the writers were, but it’s also one of the first post-credit scenes to feature in a comedy film!