'Funny People' Coming to Netflix Years After Box Office Flop

Judd Apatow's Funny People is coming to Netflix in the United States, where it hopes to make a bigger splash than it did at the box office in 2009.

Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann, Funny People tells the story of a famous comedian who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and uses the opportunity to fix the many failing relationships in his life.

Like many of Apatow's best films, Funny People manages to blend quick-fire jokes and lovable characters with a much more sentimental story-in this case, a discussion of how we don't always appreciate what we've got until it's too late.

The film was met with strong reviews upon release, with many critics praising Apatow's balanced screenplay and the hilarious performances from Sandler, Rogen, and Mann. Unfortunately, general audiences didn't give it the attention it deserved, and its legacy ended up being one of box office failure and missed potential.

Funny People made roughly $71 million at the worldwide box office, failing to break even on its reported budget of $75 million (via Box Office Mojo). It had a strong domestic opening of $22 million, but quickly lost momentum when it faced box office giants like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince over the summer.

Despite the box office disappointment, Funny People remains one of Apatow's most popular films-and a particular favorite among critics. The movie currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 69%, compared to Apatow's most recent score of 20% for The Bubble.

The critics' consensus reads: "Funny People features the requisite humor, as well as considerable emotional depth, resulting in Judd Apatow's most mature film to date."

Thankfully, Funny People will soon be available on Netflix for a whole new generation of comedy fans to discover. The film is coming to the platform's United States catalog on June 16, 2026, where it will hopefully find more success than it did in theaters. Currently, Funny People is available to stream on Philo or Starz until the end of the month, at which point it will only be purchasable through VOD services like Amazon Prime or Apple TV.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 11:29 AM.