‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Scores Hole in One With Record Viewing for a Streaming Movie

Adam Sandler knows how to drive viewing.

The comedian’s latest movie, Happy Gilmore 2, set a record for single week’s viewing for a streaming movie, according to Nielsen.

The sequel to Happy Gilmore holed 2.9 million minutes during its opening weekend on Netflix. It topped the previous record set by Glass Onion, also on Netflix.

Netflix signed Sandler and his production company, Happy Madison Productions, to a long-term, four-picture deal in 2024. The streamer had discovered that its subscribers really liked Sandler’s comedies. The deal was extended in 2017 and again in 2020. The last deal was for four movies and was reportedly worth $275 million.

According to Nielsen, since 2018, Sandler movies have generated over 61 billion minutes of viewing on Netflix. That is equivalent to playing over 255 million rounds of golf, or completing a kindergarten through high school education nearly 9,000 times, Nielsen noted.

Millennials and Gen X viewers, who weren’t born when the original film came out, were a big part of Happy Gilmore 2’s audience. Adults 35-64 contributed 54% of watch time, but young adults 18-34 also contributed with 26% of watch time. Meanwhile, the original Happy Gilmore also charted on NIelsen’s streaming movie list at #3 with 459 million minutes, and its audience profile was slightly younger than the sequel, indicating that there may have been some newcomers to the franchise.

Happy Gilmore 2 led the Nielsen’s Top 10 movie list for the week of July 21-27.

It was followed by Kpop Demon Hunters (Netflix), Happy Gilmore (Netflix/Starz) Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (Netflix), Madea’s Destination Wedding (Netflix), Until Dawn (Netflix), Sinners (HBO Max), The Amateur (Hulu), Wicked (Peacock) and A Mindcraft Movie (HBO Max).

Happy Gilmore 2 also led all programs on Nielsen’s rankings for the week.