‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Crushes It: Biggest Netflix Opening Ever for Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler just hit another comedy home run. His latest movie Happy Gilmore 2 is now Netflix’s biggest opening weekend ever in the U.S. The film came out on July 25 and, according to Netflix’s own Top 10 chart, it pulled in 46.7 million views in just three days. That makes it the number one English-language film on the platform for the week of July 21 to 27.

This isn’t just a win for Sandler’s fans, it’s the best debut for any Netflix movie in the U.S. so far, and it’s also Sandler’s most successful Netflix release yet. He’s made almost a dozen original films for the service, including Murder Mystery, Hubie Halloween, and The Week Of.

The new movie’s release also brought people back to the original Happy Gilmore, which came out in 1996. That film shot back into Netflix’s global Top 10 list, landing at number three with 11.4 million views. It’s the second week in a row it made the list.

Happy Gilmore 2 picks up decades after the first movie. Happy has retired from golf and isn’t doing so well. After a terrible moment on the course, he turns to drinking. But when his daughter needs money for a pricey ballet school in Paris, Happy grabs his golf clubs and gets back into the game.

Christopher McDonald is back too, once again playing Shooter McGavin, Happy’s rival. New faces in the sequel include Benny Safdie, Travis Kelce, Bad Bunny, and Sandler’s own family, Jackie, Sunny, and Sadie Sandler. The movie is full of surprise cameos, with appearances from real PGA stars Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, Hot Ones host Sean Evans, and Guy Fieri from the Food Network.

The first Happy Gilmore was a big hit in theaters when it came out, making $40 million and helping launch Sandler’s career as a top comedy star. In the original, Happy tries and fails to make it in hockey but finds unexpected success in golf. He enters a golf tournament to save his grandmother’s house from being taken by the bank.

The sequel, nearly 30 years later, seems to be a hit with fans and critics alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the original Happy Gilmore has a 70% rating, one of Sandler’s better-reviewed comedies.

Other big titles on Netflix this week include the animated movie KPop Demon Hunters, which landed at number two with 26.3 million views. It’s now the most-watched animated film ever on Netflix.

Over on the TV side, Untamed held the top spot among English-language shows for the second week in a row. The mystery series, set in Yosemite National Park and starring Eric Bana, had 26.1 million views and has already been renewed for another season.

Squid Game season three also kept its grip on the top spot for non-English shows. It pulled in another 4.6 million views, marking its fifth straight week at number one.

Netflix says Happy Gilmore 2 was the number one movie in 47 countries this week. It’s clear that Happy’s comeback is a major win, not just for Sandler, but for comedy fans all over the world.

Data provided by Netflix Tudum.

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