Some Like It Hot (1959)

Some Like It Hot (1959) stands as the greatest comedy film ever made, according to the American Film Institute, with a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score that outpaces #2 Dr. Strangelove's 98% by a single point. Billy Wilder's Prohibition-era farce features Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis fleeing the mob in drag alongside Marilyn Monroe's all-girl band, generating 1,500 laughs per screening based on a 2023 study. Its 65-year legacy remains unmatched in the genre, selling 100 million tickets adjusted for inflation, and it holds the record for most Oscar nominations (six) for a pure comedy.