• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 1, 2025

With “Happy Gilmore 2,” Netflix posted its best viewing result ever for an original movie. Netflix had its biggest U.S. opening weekend ever with 46.7 million views.

So what does that mean for franchise comedy movies going forward -- possibly with a theatrical component? Probably not so much.

Few Netflix original movies have shown in movie theaters.

This goes back to the idea of rising movies for streaming movies that in the past could have been -- theatrically intended. This includes comedies, rom-coms, or even some decent (by more modest expectations) adult-themed movies that typically play in non-holiday or summer periods.

The end of-the-year critically acclaimed films are a different situation -- because that’s where Netflix vies for Oscar hardware through more serious work from major directors like Christoper Nolan, Martin Scorsese and others -- Netflix movies like “Roma, “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story,” “The Power of the Dog,” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery."

Those get some very limited theater exhibition -- as per the Oscar rules from the Academy.

Considering the ever-growing record “views” for Netflix content that is consumed -- movies in particular -- do producers believe something might be missing?

“Happy Gilmore 2” executive producers, including star/executive producer Adam Sandler, are probably reasonably satisfied.

History shows us that nearly 30 years ago, in 1996, the original “Happy Gilmore” movie earned a grand total of $39 million domestically and $41.4 million globally. It had a $8.4 million opening for a typical nondescript, weak February weekend.

Based on a $12 million budget, the movie was deemed a big success, and launched Sandler as a major film talent.

The original “Happy Gilmore” recently ranked as the third-best movie on Netflix (11.4 million views). Other Sandler films including “Grown Ups,” “Grown Ups 2” and “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” also did as well around the same time.

Still, what box-office revenue would have "Happy Gilmore 2" received if it had been given a more immediate revenue option of a theatrical release?

The answer could be that while a theatrical run could have generated additional box-office revenue, Netflix likely believed better results came from exclusivity on the platform -- benefits coming from long term engagement from its subscribers.

Still, does Netflix view any theatrical component for its original movies -- especially its Oscar-intended films -- differently now?