Streaming giant Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has another hit on its hands with the film "Happy Gilmore 2," one of the items highlighted by the company during its recent financial results, as it looks ahead to the second half of 2025.
What Happened: Netflix continues to benefit from an exclusive partnership signed with actor Adam Sandler, who signed a deal with the streamer in 2014 and has renewed it multiple times.
The latest Sandler Netflix movie is "Happy Gilmore 2," which was released on Netflix on July 25.
In its first three days of availability, the film garnered 46.7 million views, ranking as the top English-language film on Netflix for the entire week.
Netflix said the new film set records as the highest opening for any Sandler Netflix film and as the highest weekend in the U.S. for a Netflix movie.
Along with the new film, the original 1996 "Happy Gilmore" film also performed well for Netflix. The film ranked third for the week with 11.4 million views.
The new film features cameos and tributes to many of the actors who appeared in the first film, along with some new cameos from celebrities like Post Malone, Travis Kelce, and a key acting role from musician Bad Bunny. Kelce's appearance even got the film a shout-out on Taylor Swift's Instagram Stories, as reported by Deadline.
Most viewers of the new film either love it or hate it, and the ratings indicate that it's tough to beat the original 1996 film.
On IMDb, "Happy Gilmore 2" has a 6.3 rating out of 10, compared to a 7.0 rating for the original 1996 film.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the new film has a Tomatometer score of 61% from critics and a 70% popcorn rating from moviegoers. Compare that to the 1996 film, which had scores of 63% and 85% respectively.
The good news for Netflix is that the ratings don't matter, and people were ready to tune in no matter how good or bad the film is. Most viewers of the original 1996 film were willing to give the new film a chance or tune in to see how the storyline progressed.
Read Also: Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Ends… Or Does It?
What's Next: Buoyed by "Happy Gilmore 2"'s viewership success, fans and Netflix could be revisiting Adam Sandler's classic films to pinpoint the best sequel candidates. Old films like "Billy Madison," "The Wedding Singer," and "Big Daddy" could quickly become discussed as potential movies to make sequels about.
With Sandler's exclusive deal, Netflix could benefit from the actor looking to advance any of those old films into new storylines. The streamer also benefits from comedy specials and other film ideas from Sandler, like the animated film "Leo."
The success of "Happy Gilmore 2" in July adds to the month that already saw strength from the late June release of the third and final season of "Squid Game." The recent movie "KPop Demon Hunters" has also performed well and is now the most viewed Netflix animated film of all time.
Going forward Netflix has new seasons of "Wednesday" and "Stranger Things." The company also has a movie adaptation of "Frankenstein" and the Canelo vs. Crawford live boxing match. Also, don't forget about two exclusive NFL games on Christmas Day.
“Our goal is to offer a wide variety of quality series, films and games that our members love. This in turn drives engagement on Netflix and when people watch more and love what they watch, they stick around longer, recommend Netflix to others and place a higher value on our service,” the company said after second-quarter financial results.
NFLX Price Action: Netflix stock trades at $1,174.58 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $588.43 to $1,341.15. Netflix stock is up 32.4% year-to-date in 2025.
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