I wouldn't be so sure. There's a reason why Big Dumb Action movies get cranked out while comedies have largely died: they do well in the foreign market. This is basic least-common-denominator thinking that leads to bland schlock.
Based solely on my anecdotal data it seems like many comedies where I live are local (aka not from the US).
Some of them do well others don't but they are certainly there.
Is there a similar set of movies in the US (aimed at the national/state level market) or is all the money sucked up by productions for the international market.
for 50$, I mean they could use "google translate". Seriously though localizations and translations are a serious business and important. Not everyone speaks (or understand movie/tv show) English.