Top 10 Hyped Comedy Movies

“Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” became an overnight stoner classic, establishing John Cho and Kal Penn as their generation’s Cheech and Chong. The trailer for “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” suggested the duo’s follow-up road trip would be even bigger, raunchier, and funnier than their first outing. What really captured our attention, though, were the viral promotional posters of fan favorite Neil Patrick Harris riding a unicorn. With the whole Internet asking, “What would NPH do,” we officially couldn’t wait to take another hit.

When it was announced that Seth MacFarlane would be directing a movie, every “Family Guy” fan was curious to see what he had in store. Interest continued to increase when the first trailer came out and the world was introduced to a foulmouthed Teddy Ruxpin. If the teaser for “Ted” had you in stitches, so did this edgy tie-in commercial for Axe Hair. After the film was released, Ted reigned as one of the most marketable characters of recent times, making appearances on talk shows and inspiring his own doll.

For almost a decade, it looked like a sequel to “Anchorman” was never going to happen. When Ron Burgundy made a surprise appearance on “Conan,” however, he delivered the announcement fans had been eagerly awaiting. Over the next year or so, the jazz flute-playing news anchor made appearances everywhere, from talk shows to Dodge Durango commercials. Compensating for years of absence, we had no problem with Burgundy taking over the television airwaves and Internet. It was the perfect way to get fired up before the news team finally reassembled.

“The Hangover” unexpectedly went on to become one of the highest-grossing R-rated comedies of all time. There was little doubt there would be a sequel and audiences rejoiced when the wolf pack returned in the teaser trailer for “The Hangover Part II.” The advertisements didn’t do much to hide the fact that the film was going to be a retread of its predecessor. It didn’t matter, though. As long as Phil, Stu, Alan, and Mr. Chow would be coming back, we were all willing to blindly succumb to the overwhelming hype.

People had to wait twenty years for a “Dumb and Dumber” follow-up and no, “Dumb and Dumberer” didn’t count. Appearing on “The Tonight Show,” Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels made a spectacle of the long-awaited sequel’s first trailer. Seeing Harry and Lloyd with their bad haircuts and driving around in the shaggin’ wagon again was the ultimate nostalgia trip. Whether you felt “Dumb and Dumber To” lived up to the hype or not, you have to admit that the trailer and the “Lucy” parody posters were nothing short of ingenious.

The original “Austin Powers” garnered a cult following on video and its 1999 follow-up was a box office smash. If you were among the masses that couldn’t stop staying, “very shagadelic, baby,” chances are you saw the franchise’s third installment in theaters. The ads made “Goldmember” look like the most smashing “Austin Powers” yet, full of big laughs and even bigger twists. With iconic characters and Mike Myers’ star power backing it up, “Goldmember” became another huge financial success. However, the same cannot be said about the overhyped “The Love Guru,” a subsequent comedy in which Myers also held the titular role.

To build hype for a comedy, sometimes all you need to do is to plaster names like Seth Rogen and James Franco on the poster. What sweetened the deal with “This Is the End” is that all of these decade-defining comedians would be playing versions of themselves in the midst of an apocalypse. If that didn’t sell the audience, a few choice cameos from Michael Cera and Emma Watson in the trailer surely did. It couldn’t have been more a party if Saul and Dale from “Pineapple Express” showed up.

Although Sacha Baron Cohen generated a ton of buzz with “Brüno,” “Borat” was the film and character that really took the world by storm. Cohen had previously portrayed the Kazakh journalist on “Da Ali G Show,” but he launched Borat into the mainstream public eye through several appearances on talk shows and late night variety programs. As you might expect, he never held back. While “Borat” did well in its opening weekend, the movie film only gained more attention over the following weeks thanks to incredible word-of-mouth and critical praise, though it also evoked quite a bit of controversy as well.

To publicize their leap to the big screen, the Simpsons went all out with an epic trailer and an even more epic 7-Eleven tie-in. $10 million dollars was spent to temporarily turn twelve 7-Eleven locations into Springfield’s favorite convenience store. The promotion went beyond recreating the Kwik-E-Mart’s look. The stores were stocked with Krusty-O’s, Squishees, Buzz Cola, and donuts. If only they had some buckets of ice cream with mini pies. Seeing how this marketing campaign increased profits by 30% at those 7-Elevens, maybe they should have remained Kwik-E-Marts indefinitely.

Before we build up our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Bridesmaids” (2011)
- “The Campaign” (2012)
- “Nacho Libre” (2006)
- “22 Jump Street” (2014)
- “Project X” (2012)

While “The Interview” initially gained some hype due to its stars and controversial subject matter, the film’s buzz factory went through the roof when hackers threatened Sony. The studio subsequently pulled “The Interview” from its planned wide release. Many felt this violated the first amendment, including President Obama and Dr. Evil. With legions demanding to see this taboo comedy, Sony eventually released it in select arthouse theaters, on several streaming sites, and On Demand. Ironically, what was intended to kill “The Interview” made it as talked about as ever.

Do you agree with our list? What comedies were you psyched to see based on all the hype? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.