Netflix sequel to 30-year-old movie beats K-pop Demon Hunters to become platform's biggest US film debut ever

Indian Express

30-07-2025

Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore 2 has shattered records on Netflix. Dropping nearly 30 years after the original, the sequel now holds the title for the biggest US opening weekend for any Netflix film, according to a new Variety report. It's also Sandler's most-watched debut on the platform to date. With that, the movie knocked out Korean animated flick K-Pop Demon Hunters, which had been ruling the charts for weeks since its release last month.
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Sandler is back swinging as Happy the golfer, the hot-headed, hockey-obsessed misfit who became a cult favorite after the original 1996 comedy. In the sequel, he's older, worn out, and drowning his sorrows in alcohol, until his daughter's expensive ballet school in Paris forces him to return to the greens. Back then, he played to save his grandma's house. Now, it's to fund his kid's dreams. Directed by Kyle Newacheck and co-written with Sandler's longtime wingman Tim Herlihy, the film's packed with easter eggs, throwbacks, and family cameos. It brings back OGs like Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, Julie Bowen, and Ben Stiller. The movie features a star-studded lineup of Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce, Benny Safdie, Eminem, and Sandler's real-life wife, Jackie and daughters Sadie and Sunny. Happy Gimore 2 also drops emotional tributes to Bob Barker, Carl Weathers, and Frances Bay, all part of the original's legacy.
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Speaking of numbers, Happy Gilmore 2 pulled in 46.7 million views in just three days and is sitting pretty at No. 1 in 47 countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Bahamas, Peru, Brazil, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and more. In Asia, it's in the top 10 in regions like Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan. The top 5 most popular films on the platform includes, Red Notice (2021). The movie held the record for 'most-watched English-language' film in its first 28 days with 230.9 million hours viewed. Don't Look Up (2021) pulled in 359.79 million hours watched in its first 28 days. Bird Box (2018) garnered 282.02 million hours viewed in its first 28 days. Note: Netflix has changed how it reports viewership over time. Previously, they focused on 'hours viewed' for a 28-day period. The current 'views' metric, calculated by dividing total hours watched by runtime.
And it's not just the sequel getting love, the original Happy Gilmore has bounced back to No 3 globally with 11.4 million views, pulling in new fans. Sandler, celebrating the release, shared a trailer earlier and wrote, 'Hope you all have a great time.' McDonald said Sandler and Netflix have 'outdone themselves,' while Bowen called it 'just fun' to be back and said it mattered to Sandler to bring the original crew. As McDonald put it, 'What I love about Adam Sandler is his heart. He's got so much love for people.'
The sequel scored a 62 on Rotten Tomatoes, just a notch below the original's 63, which is actually a win for Sandler, considering Billy Madison sits at 42%, Big Daddy at 39%, and Little Nicky at 22%. Critics called it 'a happy orgy of raucous fan-service nostalgia.' Meanwhile, KPop Demon Hunters slid into second place with 26.3 million views in its sixth week, making it the most-watched Netflix animated film of all time. The movie debuted with 9.2 million views. Untamed, a Yosemite-set murder mystery, led the English TV list. And Squid Game Season 3 stayed on top globally among non-English shows. Other feature titles that dropped the weekend of July 25 include Fantastic Four: The First Steps, Four Letters of Love, and Oh, Hi!