Adam Sandler shocked a lot of people in the last year both with his performance in Uncut Gems and his grace when he was overlooked for an Oscar nomination for it. But Uncut Gems wasn’t Adams biggest project last year. The wacky comedy Murder Mystery on Netflix was. Certainly not biggest by way of storytelling, innovation or acting, but highest viewership. So big, that Netflix is giving Adam and his Happy Madison Productions a four picture deal.
Netflix is staying in the Adam Sandler game. Following the successful release of the Jennifer Aniston- and Sandler-led comedy Murder Mystery, the streaming giant said Friday that it is extending the deal with Sandler and Happy Madison Productions to make four more movies.
Sandler and Netflix have been in business since the release of the 2015’s The Ridiculous 6 and Netflix claims that since then, its subscribers have spent more than 2 billion hours watching Sandler’s flicks. That includes The Do-Over, Sandy Wexler, The Week Of and Murder Mystery, which the company says was the most popular title on Netflix in the U.S. last year. He also released his first stand-up special in 22 years on the steamer.
Sandler also has an untitled animated feature film that he will write, produce, and star in.
“Whether you know him as Sandman, the Water Boy, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Nick Spitz or simply Adam, one thing is clear: our members can’t get enough of him,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer. “They love his stories and his humor, as we saw with Murder Mystery. So I could not be more excited to extend our partnership with Adam and the Happy Madison team and deliver more laughs around the world.”
If Netflix’s numbers are correct, then I can absolutely see why they are giving Adam this deal. Two billion hours? I’m indifferent to most of Adam’s Happy Madison Productions movies. I find them just okay. But I am much more likely to click on a Sandler film while scrolling through Netflix than go to a theater to see it. So I think this is a smart move on both sides. However, I thought Murder Mystery was so bland, and remember I’m a big Jen A fan. I hope Adam doesn’t phone it in like that for all four of his Netflix films.
According to Deadline, Adam has an animated film in the works. He will star in it but also write and produce. I actually really like the first Hotel Transylvania movie and found the sequels kind of watchable, so I have hopes for Adam doing animated. I’m also intrigued by his first Netflix project, Hubie Halloween, mainly because of the cast, which is like half of Hollywood. My hope is that Adam will continue to make his fortune with Happy Madison Productions, and that will afford him the opportunity to star in more indie films that actually show off his acting chops.
Photo credit: WENN/Avalon
He should have got an Oscar nomination for his acting in “Uncut gems”. You hate him all the way but the acting was really compelling.
You’re exactly right. I hated him the whole way through and couldn’t help but yell at him with that (spoiler alert!) final bet, but man did he ever do a good job.
Ugh. Hated Murder Mystery. Everything about it was awful. Hated myself for watching all the way through.
Good for him but according to Aniston fans Murder Mystery was hot because of her! Lol
Sandler movies on Netflix have always rated high.
I don’t understand this man.
I watched Uncut Gems last night and almost fell in love with him: his acting is off the charts. The role was very difficult, not only physically but also the elocution and the randomness of his speech, almost entirely made of unrelated short expressions sometimes.
And yet… He goes on making bland and frankly stupid films, people watch them, and he doesn’t act as much as he should. (He was also great in the previous Baumbach film for Netflix).
I am curious to know if he is as popular outside of the US. This just may be that he appeals to American culture and there is something that us Europeans don’t see?
I don’t know about other countries but this is Mexico’s case. He has some films In which he features a very famous Mexican comedian called Eugenio Derbez and he features Salma Hayek too. So he is quite popular in Mexico.
About the movies most are really bad but I they are an easy watching. I think they are good to turn off your brain and just go for the ride.
Many years ago I watched “Punch Drunk Love” and Adam Sandler was amazing . Since then I have always wandered why he chooses to keep wasting all his talent on bland bad movies.
came here to say the same thing; me, my famiy and friends are all fans of his movies, even the ones without Eugenio Derbez
Talk about failing Up
So true.
The Hotel Transylvania movies are really cute!
Yes! My husband and I keep watching even when the kiddos have wandered out of the room. And we laugh and quote lines. They’re so good.
I don’t think a day goes by that we don’t bust out a “I don’t say blah, blah, blah”. I loved the Hotel Transylvania movies and I fully admit I watched expecting to hate them because it’s by Adam Sandler.
I don’t care for his work at all, but if he’s bringing that many viewers to them, but it makes sense to keep going.
What’s always a bummer though is the shoveling cash at someone like Sandler, and then canceling good, smaller shows.
Meh, no harm no foul on Sandler. I enjoy some of his work, some no.
I will take a look at whatever he has on Netflix.
When Uncut Gems hits streaming, I will watch it.
If AS hits his stride he is funny, if he phones it in as in Murder Mystery, well I just think of it as a bit of a disappointment. Never a tragedy, background noise mostly.
I enjoyed Murder Mystery as a Saturday night casual evening in. Hoping for more light hearted comedy from him.
Cannot stand anything he does. Uncut Gems was unwatchable to me. Every time I hear that THIS TIME Adam Sandler is great, he is not.
Preaching to the choir!
If that many people are watching his stuff on Netflix, then I can understand why they’d offer him the deal. What I can’t understand is why anyone would watch anything he does. I’d rather punch myself in the face than watch one of his movies.
I was watching Grown Ups the other day and had a realization: as a director, he’s Tyler Perry.