Happy Gilmore 2 just shattered a major Netflix record

Excuse the inevitable slew of golf puns that are sure to follow, but Happy Gilmore's big comeback to the green hit an indisputable hole in one. Adam Sandler returned as one of his most iconic characters in the sequel almost 30 years in the making as Happy Gilmore 2 made its splashy premiere on Netflix on July 25. The only thing better than Happy's swing was the movie's opening weekend ratings.

According to Netflix, Happy Gilmore 2 debuted with 46.7 million views in its first three days of release, which was enough for the movie to debut at the No. 1 spot on the top 10 most popular English-language movies of the week. The 46.7 million views translates to 91.9 million hours watched from the movie's drop on July 25 to the end of Netflix's ratings tracking week on July 27.

But those debut numbers aren't even the most impressive part of Happy Gilmore 2's debut. Netflix reports that the movie has broken the record for the biggest opening weekend for a Netflix original film in the United States ever. The streamer didn't share the numbers that set that record for the movie's U.S. opening weekend, but that's an impressive stat for the Sandman!

Sandler has released a large number of original movies for Netflix at this point, including Murder Mystery and its sequel with Jennifer Aniston, but Happy Gilmore 2 marks the actor's biggest opening weekend yet on the platform. Even though some people might have counted out his star power, these numbers sure prove that he's still a major draw that going to keep us all entertained.

It's no wonder that Happy Gilmore 2 posted such big numbers for Netflix, which are sure to continue to raise if not steadily increase to land on the all-time most popular Netflix movies top 10 list. The movie not only brought back the beloved character and more fan-favorite characters from the '90s original, but the sequel also boasted a number of a celebrity co-stars and cameos.

In addition to a healthy amount of fan service and callbacks fans surely adored, Happy Gilmore 2 took some ambitious, big swings with its storytelling by killing a character fans loved within the first five minutes. The character's death was definitely divisive and probably polarizing to fans of the original, but it was the driving force behind Happy's return to his larger-than-life world of golf.

It's too soon to even begin to wonder whether the massive opening weekend will turn into talks about a potential third movie in the Happy Gilmore universe or if Adam Sandler will opt to move on with different titles. One thing's for sure, the streamer will 100% stay in business with Sandler. Whether he's one of his best-love characters or an animated lizard, he's still a movie star through and through!

Watch Happy Gilmore 2 only on Netflix.

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