'Happy Gilmore 2' Just Broke Netflix Records
Racking up 46.7 million streams in just three days.
Summary
- Happy Gilmore 2 has set a record for the most successful opening weekend in Netflix U.S. history
- The sequel of the cult classic franchise benefitted from a slew of high profile cameos and high visibility marketing campaigns
- The original Happy Gilmore will be removed from streaming July 31
Happy Gilmore 2 landed on Netflix last Friday, and in just three days racked up 46.7 million streams. It’s the biggest U.S. opening weekend in Netflix history.
The sequel had all the makings of a perfect storm. Golf is having a cultural reawakening, intersecting more than ever with recognizable names in entertainment, sports and fashion. The original Happy Gilmore is already a cult classic, cementing Adam Sandler’s rise in comedy and delivering one of cinema’s most memorable golf scenes (Bob Barker, anyone?). But the sequel went bigger, built almost entirely around cameos from figures orbiting golf culture plus some of the game’s biggest names: Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce, Scottie Scheffler, Nelly Korda, Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples come to mind.
The marketing push matched the scale, with brands like U.S. Bank, Callaway and Subway jumping in on the hype, while Netflix fostered a sense of urgency by removing the original from streaming on July 31. Whether the movie leaned too hard into campiness or cameo culture is up for debate, but the numbers speak for themselves.
A golf franchise, one that sat dormant for nearly 30 years, just became Netflix’s most-watched opening weekend ever. That alone is a cultural milestone worth noting.
