The King of Comedy (film)

For the 1999 Hong Kong film, see King of Comedy (film).

The King of Comedy
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMartin Scorsese
Written byPaul D. Zimmerman
Produced byArnon Milchan
Starring
CinematographyFred Schuler
Edited byThelma Schoonmaker
Music byRobbie Robertson
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
Release dates
  • December 18, 1982 (1982-12-18) (Iceland)
  • February 18, 1983 (1983-02-18) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$19 million[1]
Box office$2.5 million[2]

The King of Comedy is a 1982[3] American satirical black comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro (in his fifth collaboration with Scorsese), Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard.[4] Written by Paul D. Zimmerman, the film focuses on themes such as celebrity worship and American media culture. 20th Century-Fox released the film on February 18, 1983, in the United States,[5] though the film was released two months earlier in Iceland.[6]

In the film, an aspiring stand-up comedian is increasingly obsessed with a successful comedian whom he met by chance.

Production began in New York on June 1, 1981, to avoid clashing with a forthcoming writers' strike,[7] and opened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1983.[8][9] The film received mostly positive reviews from critics but was a flop at the box office, grossing only $2.5 million against its $19 million budget. It is the first production of Embassy International Pictures, later Regency Enterprises.

  1. ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p260
  2. ^ "The King of Comedy (1983) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  3. ^ DVD of the Week: The King of Comedy|The New Yorker
  4. ^ The Jerry Lewis Films by James L. Neibaur and Ted Okuda. Jefferson, SC: McFarland, 1994, ISBN 0-89950-961-4.
  5. ^ Canby, Vincent (February 18, 1983). "Scorsese's 'King Of Comedy'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 30, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "Morgunblaðið, 18 December 1982". Timarit.is. Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  7. ^ Thompson, David and Christie, Ian. Scorsese on Scorsese, p.87.
  8. ^ "Jerry Lewis Is The King At Cannes Film Festival". The New York Times. May 9, 1983. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  9. ^ "Latest Movie Features Best & Worst Lists". gb: Empireonline.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2017.