Adam Sandler is the "big daddy" of Netflix these days.
Adam Sandler is the “big daddy” of Netflix these days.
To wit: Despite his best efforts, Sandler’s horror-comedy “Hubie Halloween,” released last month, was Netflix’s highest-ranking film of 2020 — and proof-positive that Sandler’s well-oiled movie-making machine can deliver on its promise of crowd-pleasers.
The 54-year-old actor holds one of the most profitable contracts with the streaming giant, thanks to the success of his first four-year contract with Netflix. Originally signed in 2014, the deal was re-signed in 2017, during which time he produced and starred in “The Do-Over,” “Sandy Wexler,” “The Week Of,” “Murder Mystery” and “The Ridiculous 6,” which received a 0% “tomato-meter” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Earlier this year, Sandler signed on to make four more films, with Netflix noting that subscribers had streamed more than 2 billion hours of his movies since 2015.
Meanwhile, his performance in the Safdie Brothers’ “Uncut Gems” earned him his highest-ever rating on the film site with 92%. He won an Independent Spirit Award as Best Male Lead for his role after being snubbed at the Oscars — even after vowing to make a movie “so bad on purpose just to make you all pay.”
Sandler is currently preparing for a more sobering role in Netflix’s “Spaceman of Bohemia,” an adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař’s 2017 novel, which follows the dramatic and mysterious journey of an astronaut sent to the galaxy’s edge.
