2020 has been a big year for streaming services with movie theaters being closed due to the pandemic. Netflix has had a lot of successes this year with movies like Extraction, The Old Guard, Eurovision, and more. Despite a packed year, it looks like the most popular flick to drop on the streaming service in 2020 is Hubie Halloween, the spooky comedy starring Adam Sandler.
According to Variety, Sandler’s latest movie is one of the most-watched movies on Netflix, which could make it one of the most-watched movies of the year when you consider how there wasn’t much theater-going.
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It’s still a little unclear what exactly “most popular” means in regards to Netflix. Over the summer, it was revealed that the Chris Hemsworth-led Extraction was Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time. If Hubie Halloween is the “highest-ranking” Netflix movie of the year, then it might not have taken the “most-watched” title from Hemsworth just yet.
In a recent interview with Cinema Blend, Sandler talked about knowing if he’s made a bad movie and he does not consider Hubie Halloween to be one of those.
“I just got it. You get a feeling. When I have a hit coming, I walk differently. The bones feel better, I hear better, I react better to like ‘Hey, Sandman’ on the street. I’ll go, ‘Hey, what’s up.’ When I got something coming out that’s not going to do well, the bones feel dead, there’s no hop, I’m flat-footed, I hear, ‘Hey, Sandman,’ and I do this [mimics a don’t talk to me motion] ‘No, no.’ You know? [Hubie Halloween]’s a hit.”
Speaking of Sandler’s filmography, Hubie Halloween had a lot of fun callbacks to some of his classic comedies. Fans of Happy Gilmore not only saw a reunion between Sandler and Julie Bowen, but Ben Stiller made a cameo as Hal. In Happy Gilmore, Hal was the abusive orderly at the nursing home where Happy’s grandmother lived. Sandler’s Hubie was also bullied by many people throughout the film, and one middle school-aged offender shouts “O’Doyle rules” after messing with Hubie.
In addition to Sandler, Hubie Halloween stars Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, Rob Schneider, June Squibb, Kenan Thompson, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Chiklis, Tim Meadows, Karan Brar, George Wallace, Noah Schnapp, Paris Berelc, China Anne McClain, Steve Buscemi, and Maya Rudolph. Hubie Halloween is directed by Steven Brill with a script that Sandler co-wrote with Tim Herlihy. Sandler also produced the film alongside Kevin Grady and Allen Covert.
Hubie Halloween is now streaming on Netflix.