Comedy Sequel 30 Years in the Making Scores Biggest Netflix Movie Debut Ever

Adam Sandler may divide audiences on whether he is funny, but the results of his latest Netflix release leave no debate about its success. His sequel Happy Gilmore 2 set a new streaming record and passed previous Netflix leader Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

New data from Nielsen showed that between July 25 and July 27, Happy Gilmore 2 reached 2.9 billion minutes viewed. That gave the film the largest single-week total ever recorded by a Netflix movie. By comparison, Daniel Craig’s Knives Out sequel brought in 2.2 billion minutes during its December 2022 debut. Sandler’s golf comedy also ranked number one across Nielsen’s overall Streaming Top 10 for the week of July 21–27.

Netflix reported that the film earned 46.7 million views in its first three days, confirming it as the biggest U.S. opening for an original Netflix film. It also became Sandler’s most-watched release since signing his exclusive deal with the platform.

Sandler’s relationship with Netflix dates back nearly a decade, delivering titles ranging from Hubie Halloween to both Murder Mystery films. While his comedies have often faced criticism, they have continued to attract large audiences. In 2015, The Ridiculous 6 received a 0 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, followed by 2016’s The Do-Over with 9 percent. Many of his other Netflix comedies have hovered closer to 40 percent, though Sandler’s dramatic projects like Uncut Gems and Hustle earned some of the strongest reviews of his career.

Happy Gilmore 2 performed better than most of his earlier comedies with a 63 percent rating from critics and 66 percent from audiences. Many noted the nostalgic appeal of Sandler returning to one of his most recognizable roles. The film reunited him with co-stars Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald, while including appearances by Bad Bunny, Eminem, Travis Kelce, Steve Buscemi, Rory McIlroy, Eric André, Benny Safdie and others.

The results leave Netflix with another major streaming hit and show that Adam Sandler continues to deliver blockbuster audiences no matter what critics say.

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