Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos was full of praise for the comedy actor, claiming: “People love Adam’s films on Netflix and often watch them again and again. His appeal spans across viewers of all ages — everybody has a favorite movie, everyone has a favorite line — not just in the U.S. but all over the world.”
Adam Sandler – Netflix partnership: A glittering career
According to the statement, Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions will work in partnership with Netflix on the four films.
Over a surprisingly long career Sandler has made a name for himself in comedies such as “Happy Gilmore,” “Billy Madison,” “The Wedding Singer” and “Grown Ups.” You may be as surprised as I was to find out that Sandler’s films have in fact earned more than $2 billion in ticket sales.
Despite a distinct lack of critical acclaim, it would seem that Joe Public just can’t get enough of Sandler. His latest effort, “Blended,” co-starring partner-in-movie-crime Drew Barrymore, struggled in its opening weekend and was slated by critics. However it’s taken in more than $125 million worldwide compared to an estimated budget of $40 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
A growing trend
Perhaps more interesting than Adam Sandler’s involvement is the increasing movement towards new ways of distributing movies. Just the other day, Facebook announced that it would be distributing five short films based on characters from the “Twilight” saga.
This week Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) also announced that it would be releasing a sequel to the 2000 hit “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” In what will be Netflix’ first movie release, expect to see the sequel online in August 2015, as well as in selected Imax theaters. The company has also been making waves in the world of television dramas, releasing series such as “House of Cards” and “Orange Is the New Black.”
Film studios continue to develop their interest in alternative distribution systems, giving online media a greater role in marketing drives than we have ever seen before. We can presumably expect to see more collaborations in the near future.
