October 3, 2025, 2:20 pm | Read time: 8 minutes
You might be among those who find something missing in many modern comedies—those who long for the hilarious films of the past that made us laugh heartily time and again. The TECHBOOK editorial team feels the same way. That’s why they’ve discovered a ranking that comedy fans should definitely know. It lists the best cult comedies based on objective criteria: by laughs!
In the age of streaming, it might seem that quantity trumps quality. In the race for market share, various services have at times tried to outdo each other with new releases—including numerous original productions. As TECHBOOK reported, Netflix has since responded and announced changes to curb this negative trend. The newer strategy aims to reduce the number of content and instead focus more on high-quality, carefully selected productions. Disney+ has similar plans, as reported by the industry magazine “Variety.”
Newer films, especially comedies, are not as well-received—a sentiment extensively discussed on the platform Reddit. “In the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, comedies were one of the most popular genres in Hollywood. I can immediately think of so many cult comedies from that era that are still fondly remembered today,” writes one user. So, it’s worth looking back if you want a good laugh.
Ranking of the Funniest Comedies by Laughs
In 2012, Lovefilm, an online rental service for film DVDs and Blu-rays that has since been discontinued and acquired by Amazon, determined the funniest comedies up to that point based on official parameters: the number of laughs per minute. To do this, the service first conducted a large survey within its community to identify the best films of the genre from their perspective. From all the titles, the ten most frequently mentioned comedies were filtered out.
In the second step, the company convened a small panel consisting of employees and some “close associates,” as the business magazine “Forbes” explained at the time. This panel watched the films together. During the screening, they recorded how often there was giggling, quiet laughter, or loud laughter, and then calculated the so-called “Laugh a Minute Score” by dividing the total number of laughs by the film’s runtime in minutes. According to the evaluation, most laughs came from a disaster film parody from 1980.
Rank 1: “Airplane!” (1980)
The top spot in the ranking is held by the feature film “Airplane!” from 1980. It’s about a trans-American flight where the entire cabin crew becomes incapacitated due to food poisoning. A fellow passenger, traumatized from his missions as a fighter pilot and played by Leslie Nielsen, must step in. But besides his now pronounced fear of flying, another hurdle complicates a safe landing: He is guided from the tower by former comrades with whom he is long estranged. Three laughs per minute.
Rank 2: Hangover (2009)
Does a bachelor party have to be wild? The three buddies from “Hangover” (original title: The Hangover, see photo above) would probably only agree reluctantly in hindsight. After a wild bachelor party in Las Vegas, they wake up and must painstakingly reconstruct the events of the previous night—and also find the groom, who has inexplicably disappeared. Time is short until the wedding, and with a hangover, the search becomes even more chaotic. The Lovefilm panel laughed 2.4 times per minute.
Rank 3: The Naked Gun (1988)
The same lead actor as the top-ranked comedy. This time, it’s a parody of police films. In “The Naked Gun” (original title: Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!), Leslie Nielsen plays the clumsy Lieutenant Frank Drebin. He is tasked with preventing an assassination attempt on Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. While trying to unmask the villains, he stumbles from one bizarre mishap to the next. In numbers: 2.3 laughs per minute.
Rank 4: Superbad (2007)
After their upcoming high school graduation, friends Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) will go their separate ways. Before that, they want to go all out: at Julie’s big party, whom Seth has had a crush on for a while. For the cool entrance, the guys want to bring alcohol, but they’re actually too young for that. Fake IDs are needed, but this action brings some unforeseen encounters and turbulence. The Lovefilm study found 1.9 laughs per minute.
Rank 5: Borat (2006)
Sacha Baron Cohen created a cult figure with the mockumentary about the eponymous “Borat”—and a film that made the Lovefilm panel laugh 1.7 times per minute. If you’ve seen it, you can probably confirm: Among the emotions it evokes is a good dose of secondhand embarrassment. Borat is a Kazakh TV reporter who travels to the U.S. to learn about the culture and make a documentary about it. Along the way, he meets a variety of people—and shows himself at his most politically incorrect.
Rank 6: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate—need we say more? Numerous guarantees for laughs star in the film “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” It’s about macho Ron Burgundy, the celebrated anchorman of a private TV station in 1970s San Diego. The entire news crew consists only of men. Until an attractive journalist is hired, and now, of all people, a woman is threatening Burgundy’s position. A battle for the chief news anchor post and the sexes begins. And it gets very funny. The laughs-per-minute score is 1.6.
Rank 7: American Pie (1999)
In “American Pie,” four high school friends have one goal: to lose their virginity before graduation. Easier said than done—one might think. But the guys, who even made a pact for their plan, encounter various challenges. One of the film’s most famous scenes revolves around the titular American Pie: a covered apple pie that is inappropriately repurposed. With 1.5 counted laughs per minute, the teen film secures 7th place in the ranking of the funniest comedies.
Rank 8: Bridesmaids (2011)
With Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, and Maya Rudolph, the cast already promises attacks on the funny bone. And these twitch in the film “Bridesmaids,” according to the Lovefilm analysis, about 1.4 times per minute. The plot: Annie’s (played by Kristen Wiig) life spirals out of control when her best friend, newly engaged, makes her the maid of honor. Viewers can expect a chaotic mix of embarrassing and absurd situations.
Rank 9: Shaun of the Dead (2004)
One of the funniest comedies by laughs, offering both romance and even a touch of horror. In “Shaun of the Dead,” the main character, Shaun, is in the midst of a life crisis. Stress at work and in his relationship leads him to spend a lot of time with his best friend at the pub. He sees the opportunity to get his life back on track when a zombie apocalypse breaks out. His plan: save friends and family, use the pub as a safe haven, and protect the world from the undead.
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Rank 10: Life of Brian (1979)
A cult film by Monty Python that tells the story of Brian Cohen, a man born on the same day and just a few houses away from Jesus. Through a series of unfortunate—and for the audience, all the more humorous—misunderstandings, Brian is mistaken for the Messiah. Desperately, he tries to convince everyone of the truth. But in doing so, he finds himself increasingly in the spotlight. The biting satire with provocative humor caused a stir upon its release. Due to its allegedly blasphemous content, “Life of Brian” was temporarily banned in numerous countries. Today, it is available for streaming. The laughs-per-minute score is 1.2.
What Should Be Added
It’s important to note certain limitations of the study. Among other things, the film selection is based on suggestions from Lovefilm members. Since this community was heavily influenced by the British market, the ranking is not necessarily representative of an international audience. The conditions of the screening also play a role in the reliability of the results. Many participants knew each other. And clearly, watching a film with friends usually results in more frequent and exuberant laughter than watching the same film alone at home, as you might plan with lots of popcorn.
There is no guarantee that the comedies identified in the Lovefilm study will make you laugh as much. And speaking of which, only the frequency of laughter was counted—not how strong or long-lasting the laughter was. A short giggle was considered just as much as a loud, prolonged laughing fit. One could therefore criticize that the study only captures the frequency of laughs, not their effect or intensity. Anyway, humor is, of course, very individual. What one person finds hilariously amusing, another might find silly or exaggerated.
Despite these limitations, the ranking is interesting for comedy fans. Among the films it recalls, there are very likely some that will make you laugh. You can find out exactly how often for yourself.