Kevin Hart Believes Stand-Up Career Helped ‘Ride Along’ Become A Worldwide Hit

Kevin Hart credits his stand-up career with helping the box office hit Ride Along find an audience beyond the United States.

It’s no secret that Hart is quickly becoming one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. The guy already has two successful films under his belt this year alone, and there’s still another headed to theaters this summer. Think Like a Man Too is presently scheduled to hit the big screen on June 20.

Although Ride Along was a huge success in the US, a lot of folks were pleasantly surprised that it generated a healthy pile of cash from foreign markets. Kevin Hart believes that his career as a stand-up comedian ultimately drew people to theaters in other parts of the world.

“The reason these films don’t cross the water is they feel they don’t have international appeal. But that’s the beauty of what I do: as a stand-up comedian I’ve travelled all over the world and I’ve pulled massive numbers,” Kevin Hart recently told news.com.au.

He continued, “When they try to keep these quote-unquote urban films in one place, it makes me laugh. They’re no longer urban films. They might have a predominantly black cast, but they’re good movies.”

It’s obvious from the worldwide success of Ride Along that Kevin Hart is more than just an “urban” movie star. While Tyler Perry is having a hard time proving that his films can move beyond what Hollywood sees as his demographic, Hart is busting through that barrier and heading directly into mainstream America.

Not only does Kevin have Ride Along 2 headed to theaters in 2016, he’s also in talks to star alongside Jamie Foxx in the mob comedy Black Phantom. The Inquisitr previously reported that director Tim Story is in negotiations to direct the project. The filmmaker and the stand-up comedian definitely seem to have the recipe for box office success at the moment.

Kevin Hart told USA Today that a lot of his success lies in his self-deprecating material. His ability to poke at his own shortcomings has helped him develop an audience all over the globe.

“It takes a special person to laugh at themselves. I say what people may think before they say it, and when you address it first, it erases it. It also sets a tone. People can laugh at you laughing at yourself. That opens up the arena for people to then laugh at themselves and at their problems. I’m not a perfect person, I’m flawed, so I put it out there,” he said.

Are you a fan of Kevin Hart? Do you think the stand-up comedian’s career helped Ride Along become a worldwide success?

[Image via BET]