Paul Dergarabedian Watch: Paul D. Explains the Judd Apatow Phenomenon

As we predicted on Friday, Superbad, the greatest movie in history, dick-joked its way past the competition to become the weekend’s highest-grossing film, pulling in more than $31 million. But to what — apart from the fact that both of your Vulture editors saw it 1.5 million times each — can we attribute to its success?

Thankfully, Hollywood’s preeminent obvious-explainer Paul Dergarabedian is on the case: “The Apatow comedy machine itself is a brand now,� he told the AP. “And it’s a brand that has created movies that appeal to older audiences who now follow whatever he does, even in the teen genre, which is very unusual.�

That’s right, Judd Apatow, famed creator of Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, was somehow able to convince his fan base to see a movie about teenagers. Remarkable, really.