Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Scores Historic Netflix Debut
Adam Sandler's 'Happy Gilmore 2' breaks Netflix records with 46.7M views in three days. The golf comedy sequel features star-studded cast and reignites interest in the 1996 original.
Nearly three decades after Adam Sandler first took an unorthodox swing at golf, Happy Gilmore is back, and breaking records.
Happy Gilmore 2, Sandler’s long-awaited sequel to the 1996 cult comedy, made an explosive debut on Netflix, racking up 46.7 million views in just three days. That figure, calculated by total hours watched divided by runtime, marks the largest U.S. film launch in Netflix history and the most-watched debut for any Sandler film on the platform.
Released on July 25, the film quickly climbed to the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 English-language movies list. Its success also reignited interest in the original, which climbed to No. 3 globally with 11.4 million views, maintaining a spot on the list for the second week running.
The sequel picks up years after the events of the original, which followed Sandler as Happy Gilmore, a failed hockey player turned golf sensation. In the new installment, Gilmore has left the sport and fallen into a downward spiral following a traumatic incident on the green. When his daughter’s costly ballet dreams in Paris spark a renewed sense of purpose, he dusts off his clubs for one last shot at redemption.
Directed by longtime Sandler collaborator Tim Herlihy, Happy Gilmore 2 blends heart and slapstick with an ensemble cast of familiar and new faces. Christopher McDonald returns as the cocky Shooter McGavin, while new cast members include Benny Safdie, rapper Bad Bunny, NFL star Travis Kelce, and cameos from Sandler’s own family: Jackie, Sunny, and Sadie Sandler. Celebrity appearances by PGA pros Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, YouTuber Sean Evans, and celebrity chef Guy Fieri add to the film’s fan-fueled nostalgia.
The movie has received a warm reception, earning a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the stronger showings in Sandler’s comedic repertoire. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman praised it as “a happy orgy of raucous fan-service nostalgia.”
Elsewhere on Netflix’s charts, KPop Demon Hunters, now in its sixth week, took second place with 26.3 million views and has officially become the platform’s most-watched animated film ever.
On the series side, Untamed held the No. 1 spot among English-language shows for a second straight week, with 26.1 million views. The murder mystery set in Yosemite, starring Eric Bana, has already been renewed for another season. Internationally, Squid Game Season 3 continues its reign as the top non-English series, extending its five-week streak with an additional 4.6 million views.
As Sandler’s Netflix reign continues, Happy Gilmore 2 proves that when it comes to comedy and golf, lightning can strike twice.