Airplane! (1980)

The Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team packed more jokes per minute into Airplane! than any film before or since, with a measured average of one gag every 12 seconds. Its rapid-fire visual puns, deadpan delivery by Leslie Nielsen, and relentless pacing defined spoof comedy for a generation. Superbad at #8 relies on raw adolescent dialogue, but Airplane! outperforms #8 with 20% more jokes per minute and a timeless structure that has not aged a day. The film earned $158 million worldwide on an $8 million budget, proving humor can be both cheap and brilliant.