Obviously, this is also the best opening for one of Sandler’s movies on the streamer, a list that includes Murder Mystery and Hubie Halloween. Happy Madison’s output there has mostly been original films, though, so this is the first time he’s revisited any of his old classics for Netflix. The nostalgia-bait paid off in spades, as the sequel’s success also boosted the original film to number three on Netflix’s top 10. (Per Variety, it generated 11.4 million views for its second consecutive week on the list.)
Perhaps some of the film’s success can be attributed to the Taylor Swift effect; the pop star gave it one of her rare social media endorsements (her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, has a supporting role). “Happy Gilmore 2 had me cackling and cheering the whole movie!” She wrote in an Instagram Story. “An absolute must watch, 13/10, go watch it on @netflix as soon as humanly possible.”
Mostly, though, the success probably comes from a widespread love of Sandler and Happy. In his B review for The A.V. Club, Jesse Hassenger writes that “Happy Gilmore 2 doesn’t stand on its own enough to rate alongside the company’s best work for the streamer,” but it’s nevertheless “another indication that Sandler is still undertaking his longtime mission of making silly comfort-food comedies with the stealth seriousness of older age.” Given the viewership numbers, that mission is proving quite a fruitful undertaking.
