“Who are we going to trick into making our bats–t movie?”
That’s the question Adele Lim said she faced as she and her partners puzzled over how to get their travel comedy “Joy Ride” made. The answer, the “Crazy Rich Asians” writer said at the movie’s SXSW premiere, where her film got a warm reception, turned out to be Lionsgate. “Joy Ride” — which follows a young Asian woman who travels to China with her friends on a business trip — became a highlight at Lionsgate’s CinemaCon presentation in April.
After years of seeming to fear the funny, Hollywood studios like Lionsgate are making a concerted effort to bring live-action comedies back to theaters.