‘Happy Gilmore 2’ debuts with record-breaking 46.7 million views on Netflix

Adam Sandler's long-awaited sequel "Happy Gilmore 2" has taken the top spot on Netflix's list of most-watched English-language films, registering 46.7 million views in just three days. Released on July 25, the film's debut marks the biggest opening weekend ever for a Netflix film in the United States, and the most successful launch for any of Sandler's original films on the platform.

The strong performance also reignited interest in the original "Happy Gilmore", which landed at No. 3 on the global top 10 list with 11.4 million views, now in its second consecutive week on the chart. The original 1996 comedy grossed $40 million at the box office and was instrumental in establishing Sandler's rise as a leading comedy actor.

Nearly three decades later, "Happy Gilmore 2" sees Sandler reprise his role as the volatile hockey player-turned-golf champion. The sequel follows Happy's retirement and struggle with alcoholism after a tragic on-course incident. He returns to golf in an effort to fund his daughter's Parisian ballet school tuition.

Christopher McDonald returns as the infamous Shooter McGavin, joined by new cast members including Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, NFL star Travis Kelce, and Sandler's wife Jackie and daughters Sunny and Sadie. The film also features cameos from PGA pros Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, "Hot Ones" host Sean Evans, and celebrity chef Guy Fieri.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Happy Gilmore" holds a 70% rating, one of the higher scores in Sandler's filmography. Variety's chief film critic Owen Gleiberman described the sequel as "a happy orgy of raucous fan-service nostalgia."

Elsewhere on the top 10 film chart, "KPop Demon Hunters" secured the No 2 spot with 26.3 million views in its sixth week. The action-musical has now become Netflix's most popular animated film to date.

On the series front, "Untamed" continued its dominance on the English-language TV list, drawing 26.1 million views in its second week. Set in Yosemite National Park, the mystery drama starring Eric Bana has been renewed for a second season.

Meanwhile, the third season of "Squid Game" held the No 1 position on the non-English language series chart for a fifth consecutive week, amassing 4.6 million more views.