 | |
 | |
Type of site | Film, comedy |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Revenue | est. $5 million[citation needed] |
| URL | rifftrax |
| Launched | July 20, 2006 |
| Current status | Active |
RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous commentary tracks which are synced to feature films, education shorts (mostly public domain), and television episodes. With the talents of former Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) cast members and writers, RiffTrax also produces several live shows each year which are broadcast to movie theaters. The style of commentating originated from MST3K, their earlier television series, in which they would similarly mock (or "riff") films aloud while watching them. As of September 2023, RiffTrax has riffed 522 feature films, 462 short films, and 16 TV episodes.
The first releases originally featured Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, through audio-only tracks intended to be played in unison with unaltered VHS and DVD copies of these programs. After the introduction of already-synced VHS and DVD material, added to the riffers were Mary Jo Pehl and Bridget Jones Nelson, who also wrote and performed for the MST3K series. Guest riffers have also added commentaries, including parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic, comedians Paul F. Tompkins, Cole Stratton and Janet Varney, and actors Joel McHale, Fred Willard, and Neil Patrick Harris, among others.
RiffTrax products are sold in downloadable media online and delivered by app, streaming video, and DRM-free download. It is also featured on Pluto TV, Twitch, Xumo, Tubi and a channel on Samsung TV.