


Grossing $63 million domestic and $79 M worldwide on a $29 M budget, The Boss was far from a resounding hit, but it did earn more than the average comedy and did so without a male lead. Like Tammy, this one largely struck out with critics but fared a bit better with the moviegoing public. McCarthy reteams with her Tammy director/co-writer and real-life husband Ben Falcone on The Boss, another R-rated comedy sinking or swimming based on the plus-sized actress. McCarthy's detractors may be louder than her supporters these days, but their words mean less to her career than ticket sales, which remain quite healthy.

But that summer 2014 movie endured lousy reviews and went on to display unusual legs for a comedy and the following summer's smash hit Spy made the career obituaries look ludicrously premature. Many were prepared to mark Tammy as the swift end of Melissa McCarthy's unprecedented grip on leading lady status. If he can figure out the reinvention bit. Think Robin Williams, Bill Murray, and, most recently, Adam Sandler, The best case scenario is something like fifteen to twenty years of sustained success, followed by reinvention. All comedy film stardom comes with a shelf life.
