Earlier in his career, Adam Sandler was a major box office draw, headlining hit comedies like Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and The Wedding Singer. He continued to star in theatrical comedies throughout the 2000s, but made a shift in the mid-2010s when he signed a deal with Netflix. While Sandler has continued to make theatrical films since then (Uncut Gems being the most notable example), most of his work has gone straight to streaming, where his latest movies rack up millions of views. Understandably, Sandler’s partnership with Netflix has thrived for well over a decade, and there’s now another hit we can add to the ever-growing list.
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For the week of April 13th-19th, Roommates was the No. 3 movie on Netflix globally. During this time, it accumulated 8.8 million views and was watched for a total of 15.7 million hours. This was the first week Roommates placed in Netflix’s top 10, trailing only 180 and the hit creature feature Thrash.
Roommates Continues Netflix’s Sandler Family Trend
One of the most notable things about Roommates is that, unlike many of his other Netflix productions, Adam Sandler is not the main attraction here. He produced the film and has a smaller acting role, but the star is his eldest daughter, Sadie. Sadie began her acting career appearing in some of her father’s films when she was a child. In Roommates, Sadie portrays Devon Weisz, a shy college student who clashes with her more extroverted roommate Celeste. The movie was released on Netflix on April 17th, so it netted its impressive viewership figures in just a few days. That illustrates subscribers were awaiting its arrival and made a point to watch it as soon as possible.
Roommates marks the continuation of a new trend for Netflix’s Sandler comedies; it’s another one that’s led by one of Sandler’s kids. Previously, there was the 2023 coming-of-age dramedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, which starred Sandler’s younger daughter Sunny as Stacy Friedman, a middle schooler who has a falling out with her best friend while preparing for her bat mitzvah. Additionally, these films have been generally well-received. Roommates has a 70% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is even higher with a Certified Fresh mark of 91%. Adam Sandler’s comedy vehicles were rarely critical darlings, so it’s nice to see his kids’ movies earn stronger reviews.
Netflix executives will undoubtedly be pleased with these results. They prove that the Sandler comedy machine isn’t dependent on Adam Sandler himself. His daughters are more than capable of headlining hit films, which means the streamer can keep building projects around them. Adam continues to act (he was recently seen giving an acclaimed supporting turn in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly and starred in Happy Gilmore 2), but if he ever decided to step away and spend more time operating behind the scenes as a producer, Netflix wouldn’t have to worry about losing what’s been a very successful endeavor. Adam Sandler is already in the process of passing the torch to the next generation.
The peak streaming era may be over, but the numbers posted by Sandler comedies on Netflix show that there will always be an audience for these kinds of projects on those platforms. Striking a deal with Netflix was an incredibly savvy move on Sandler’s part. The theatrical landscape has obviously changed dramatically since Sandler was a rising comedy star, and it’s become harder than ever to get mid-budget studio comedies on the big screen. Through Netflix, Sandler can help keep the genre alive, and his films are perfect for people looking for some light-hearted entertainment to watch at the end of a long day.
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