It’s good to see Adam Sandler and his Happy Gilmore character back home (Are you too good for your home?) and in their happy place.
Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2 achieved a record-breaking opening weekend on Netflix, amassing 46.7 million views in its first three days, according to Deadline.
That makes it the biggest U.S. opening weekend for a Netflix film and Sandler’s most successful Netflix debut.
Happy Gilmore 2 was released this past weekend, nearly three decades after the original 1996 cult classic. The film features Sandler reprising his role as the hot-tempered former hockey player-turned-golfer alongside returning stars Julie Bowen (Virginia, Happy’s late wife) and Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin).
The sequel sees Gilmore, now a widowed alcoholic ex-golfer, as he returns to professional golf to fund his daughter’s ballet school tuition. Critics have given the film mixed reviews at best for its nostalgic yet chaotic blend of humor and endless cameos.
The bottom line, however, is what matters, and Sandler just gave his career a little nudge, a little tappy, tap, tap, taparoo, so to speak.
Happy Gilmore 2 makes Netflix history. 🤯
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 29, 2025
(H/T: @Variety) pic.twitter.com/yqjWMWhtuK
Happy Gilmore 2 Takes Home the Gold Jacket
Happy Gilmore 2 saw significant social media engagement, trending on X with support from celebrities like Travis Kelce, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Post Malone, Guy Fieri, and Taylor Swift.
Directed by Kyle Newacheck and co-written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, the movie features some returning cast members like Bowen and McDonald, and callbacks to actors who sadly have passed away since the original, such as Bob Barker, Joe Flaherty, and Carl Weathers.
Weathers played Happy’s coach, Chubbs Peterson, in the first film. Barker played himself at a charity event and got into an epic fight with the main character. Flaherty was the crazed fan who would yell “Jackaass!” in an attempt to rattle Happy.
The sequel also shows off some new faces like Kelce, Bad Bunny, and Sandler’s daughters, Sadie and Sunny.
All of this combines to give the viewer an enjoyable ride connecting a past cult classic with a current one destined to reach that mantra.
“It’s been nearly three decades since Adam Sandler introduced us to Happy Gilmore,” writes Deadline reporter Justin Kroll, “and audiences showed how much the Sandman and his beloved character still resonate.”
RELATED: Travis Kelce Floored by ‘Surreal’ Role in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’
The Original Gets a Boost Too
Just how much does Adam Sandler and his character resonate? Happy Gilmore 2 gave a boost to the original film on Netflix as well. The first Happy Gilmore ranked third on Netflix’s weekly chart with 11.4 million views.
The boost to Sandler’s career didn’t stop there either.
“Sandler’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation was No. 7 in the most recent weekly rankings, while both his Grown Ups movies have also recently seen time on the streamer’s viewership charts,” Kroll reports.
McDonald, or Shooter, seemed to predict the success of Happy Gilmore 2 in a pre-release interview with People magazine.
“They’ve outdone themselves,” he said. “What I love about Adam Sandler is his heart. He’s got so much love for people… And he’s done some amazing work in the last few years. So I’m very happy for him.”
Everyone is pretty Happy, it seems.
More about:Golf