Mel Brooks’ Iconic Historical Comedy Emerges On HBO Max’s Top Charts 45 Years After Its Release

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A classic comedy from Mel Brooks is reaching a new audience online, becoming a streaming hit 45 years after it first came out.

I recently revisited Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part 1, and I was surprised to see it’s found a whole new audience! Originally released in 1981 and a solid box office success with over $31 million in earnings, it’s currently experiencing a resurgence, hitting number five on HBO Max’s list of most-watched movies as of January 23, 2026. It’s great to see this classic comedy still making people laugh decades later.

Mel Brooks’ comedy special is currently a top 10 hit just as HBO Max begins streaming a new documentary about the 99-year-old comedian, created by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio.

This documentary tells the story of Brooks’ life, from his start as a writer and performer to his successful career directing some of Hollywood’s most beloved comedies.

After achieving success with comedies like The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks released History of the World, Part 1. While the film did well in theaters, critics weren’t overly impressed – it currently has a 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Roger Ebert strongly criticized Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part 1, describing it as a messy and disappointing film, especially considering the talent of its director.

Some other reviewers found more to like, praising the film for being funny, but also noting it was a bit inconsistent and sometimes felt negative.

ScreenRant has repeatedly praised History of the World, Part 1, first including it in their 2020 list of the ten greatest anthology films and again in 2024 when they named it one of the 25 best movies set in ancient Rome.

While the movie isn’t entirely set in ancient Rome, it also appeared on ScreenRant’s 2024 list of the best films about the French Revolution. Notably, its Last Supper scene was ranked as the sixth funniest moment from the director’s films by ScreenRant in 2024.

The movie title suggested it would be the first in a series of funny historical films by Mel Brooks, but that was a playful deception – there were no initial plans for a sequel. Surprisingly, a follow-up did eventually happen. In 2023, Hulu released a series that continued the concept, with Brooks providing narration.

Despite being nearly 100 years old by 2026, Mel Brooks is set to return for Spaceballs 2, the sequel to his popular 1987 Star Wars parody.

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2026-01-24 00:29