Back in 2014, headlines were made when Adam Sandler's production company Happy Madison signed a multi-picture deal with Netflix for distribution. The collaboration has thus far resulted in three films - The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over, and the upcoming Sandy Wexler - and while critics have not been kind, it seems the streaming service is happy with the results. As such, they've extended their contract with the comedy star to include four more features.
News of this deal comes to us from Variety, which notes that the new contract is the same length as the first. The big motivation behind this deal is the fact that the first two Adam Sandler Netflix comedies currently stand as the most-watched original films featured on the streaming service - though the precise numbers remain kept a mystery from anyone outside of the company. It's definitely wound up being a change in career trajectory for Sandler, who has seen his big screen box office numbers dip in recent years with underwhelming titles like Jack and Jill, Blended, and Pixels.
Just because his movies have changed distribution methods doesn't mean that critics are being any kinder to the material, however. Even with the task of actually going to a movie theater taken out of the equation, professional film writers still hated the western-comedy The Ridiculous Six, as evidenced by its current 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Do-Over, which featured Adam Sandler and David Spade in a two-hander, did marginally better, but still only found one critic to call it "worth the watch."
The next film to come out of the Adam Sandler/Netflix team-up is the aforementioned Sandy Wexler, which will be available for consumption on Friday, April 14th. The movie stars Sandler as the titular character, a Hollywood talent manager in the 1990s who winds up discovering a talented singer (Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson). You can watch the trailer for the comedy below:
Have you found that your personal viewing habits regarding Adam Sandler movies have changed since his most notable work has moved to a digital platform - or do they remain the same? Do you miss seeing the opportunity to see the films with large audiences, or does the benefit of not spending the money on the ticket outweigh that? Do you all think that Netflix is making the right move by extending their deal with Sandler? Hit the comments section below with all of your thoughts, feelings and opinions on the matter.
