NEED TO KNOW
-
Happy Gilmore 2 is celebrating the biggest U.S. opening weekend of all time for a film on Netflix
-
Per the distributor-platform, Adam Sandler’s golf comedy sequel debuted at number one among its English-language films
-
Sandler, who has made plenty of Netflix films before, has had his biggest success there with the new film
Adam Sandler has plenty of reasons to be happy after the release of Happy Gilmore 2.
The sequel to the writer-star’s 1996 golf comedy debuted at number one among distributor Netflix’s English films, becoming the biggest U.S. opening weekend of all time for a film on the platform, per the company.
Happy Gilmore 2 amassed 46.7 million views in the three days since its July 25 release, the biggest opening for any Netflix film featuring Sandler, Netflix said in a press release. (His past work there includes Hustle, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and the Murder Mystery movies.)
Directed by Kyle Newacheck and co-written by Sandler’s Happy Gilmore collaborator Tim Herlihy, the sequel brought back cast members Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller while incorporating a starry list of newcomers: Travis Kelce, Bad Bunny, Scott Mescudi, Eminem, several pro golfers and Sandler’s own wife Jackie and kids Sadie and Sunny.
The movie was also dedicated to several members of the original Happy Gilmore team, including the late Bob Barker, Carl Weathers and Frances Bay.
Scott Yamano/Netflix
Adam Sandler and the cast of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Happy Gilmore 2 picks up years after the first time we met Sandler’s ice hockey player-turned-golfer with anger issues. To celebrate its release, the Uncut Gems star shared a trailer on his Instagram account with a simple caption: “Hope you all have a great time.”
McDonald, who reprises his role as Shooter McGavin in the new film, told PEOPLE in May that Sandler and Netflix have “outdone themselves” and that he’s “very happy” for the writer-star. “What I love about Adam Sandler is his heart. He’s got so much love for people.”
Bowen, 55, who last October told PEOPLE that the sequel “feels big,” more recently reacted to the fate of her character, Virginia Venit. “I started laughing,” she said of a spoiler early in the film. “It’s just fun to be part of the whole thing… It was really important to [Sandler] to have as many of the original cast members there.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty
The New York City premiere of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ on July 21
Other feature films released on the weekend of July 25 included Fantastic Four: The First Steps, Four Letters of Love and Oh, Hi! Per Netflix, other recent original movies still performing well on the platform are KPop Demon Hunters, Madea’s Destination Wedding and Brick.
Happy Gilmore 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
Read the original article on People
