The Hangover revolutionized the comedy genre when it was released in 2009, and the magic it captured with Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms has still yet to be replicated, despite the many attempts. The two star alongside Zach Galifianakis in The Hangover, the 2009 comedy that grossed $277 million at the domestic box office and $188 million internationally for a worldwide total of $188 million. The film recently premiered on Max and recently beat Trap to become the most popular movie on the platform. The Hangover is still one of the highest-grossing comedies ever made, but it was recently passed by Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which has earned $292 million and is currently the #2 highest-grossing comedy ever, behind only Barbie. The Hangover sits at a 79% score from critics and an 84% rating from general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Todd Phillips directed The Hangover with a script from Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, and it is still considered among Phillips’ most famous works to this day. After previously only helming documentaries, Phillips made his directorial debut in 2000 on Road Trip, the raunchy road trip comedy starring Sean William Scott and Amy Smart that’s currently streaming on Paramount+. He teamed up with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in 2004 for Starsky & Hutch, the buddy cop comedy that also stars Snoop Dogg and Vince Vaughn that can be watched on Netflix. Phillips also directed Joker in 2019, which went on to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time until it was passed by Deadpool & Wolverine earlier this year. He also directed Joker: Folie à Deux, which has flopped spectacularly compared to the original.
What Else Is Popular on Max?
M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap, which stars Josh Hartnett, was dethroned by The Hangover but is still sitting comfortably in the #2 spot, flanked closely by Elf, the classic Christmas comedy starring Will Ferrell. Goodfellas, the Martin Scorsese-directed and Robert De Niro-starring crime thriller is also in the Max top 5, currently at #4, with Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park following close behind in the #5 spot. Two more classic Christmas movies, The Polar Express and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation also recently premiered on Max and have jumped to the #6 and #7 spots.
The Hangover stars Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms and was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore and directed by Todd Phillips. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and watch The Hangover on Max.
The Hangover
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Writers
- Scott Moore , Jon Lucas
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures