Tag: Adam Sandler

Netflix, Fox Nation Air ‘Murder Mystery 2,’ Roseanne Barr Comedy Special Ads During NFL Conference Championship Games

Netflix spent big advertising its new upcoming original movie Mystery Murders 2, again co-starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, on the NFL’s nationally televised NFC and AFC Championship Game broadcasts Jan. 29 on Fox Sports and CBS Sports, respectively.

Netflix claims the original Murder Mystery was its most-popular original movie in 2019.

It’s not immediately clear whether the trailer for sequel, which is set to debut on Netflix March 31, also streamed on Paramount+, which was live-streaming the AFC title game between the victorious Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Fox Sports also aired the trailer for Fox News Media’s branded SVOD platform Fox Nation’s upcoming comedy special Roseanne Barr: Cancel This! on the NFC title game between the victorious Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. The one-hour program, which makes its debut Feb. 13, marks Barr’s first return to a stand-up comedy TV special in nearly 20 years.

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Barr’s comedy special was filmed in front of a live studio audience in Houston at the Cullen Theatre and features Barr’s signature comedic take on a variety of topics, from her experiences growing up Jewish in the Mormon citadel of Salt Lake City, moving to Texas, and raising her privileged brood. In conjunction with the special, Fox Nation will release Who Is Roseanne Barr?, an in-depth look inside the life and career of the comedian.

No word yet whether Netflix or Fox Nation plan to air their content ads during Super Bowl LVII, featuring the Eagles and Chiefs squaring off in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 12 on Fox Sports.

Netflix: ‘Stranger Things’ Tops All-Time Streaming Tally With 781 Million Hours

Netflix’s original series “Stranger Things” continues to lure viewers as all four seasons of the original sci-fi fantasy series took the top four spots on the Netflix all-time streaming chart, combining for 308.5 million hours streamed for the week ended June 12.

Netflix reported “Stranger Things” season four now has more than 781 million hours streamed after the first 28 days of availability — the top all-time English-language series. The figure bests “Bridgerton” season two with 656.2 million hours streamed.

Netflix’s all-time top streamed series remains South Korean dystopian game show, “Squid Game,” with more than 1.6 billion minutes consumed after 28 days.

The strong “Stranger Things” response overshadowed the newest original movie from Adam Sandler, Hustle, which generated almost 85 million hours across 92 countries in its debut as the No. 1 English-language movie.

Directed by Jeremiah Zagar, from a screenplay by Taylor Materne and Will Fetters. Sandler plays a washed-up NBA scout who discovers a raw but talented player in Spain (Juancho Hernangómez), and tries to prepare him for the NBA draft — while resurrecting his own career.

Other movie podium spots went to Interceptor, with 40.7 million hours streamed across 93 countries in its second week of release. That was followed by the debut of French comedy Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness with 9.8 million hours across 21 countries.

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Indian-Hindi epic RRR stayed atop the non-English Films list with 5.23 million hours viewed. Danish drama Toscana  was fourth with 2.72 million hours viewed. Comedies still reign supreme with French comedy The Takedown taking the fifth spot (2.23 million hours viewed), Dutch romantic comedy F*ck Love Too in seventh (2.01 million hours viewed) and Spanish comedy The Perfect Family coming in eighth (1.87 million hours viewed). The newest addition to the list, German documentary Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis, had 1.83 million hours viewed. 

After four weeks in the number one spot on the non-English TV list, Spanish thriller “Wrong Side of the Tracks” kept audiences entertained with 19.4 million hours viewed. New entrants included Turkish drama “As The Crow Flies” (18.31 million hours viewed), Spanish drama “Intimacy” (15.9 million hours viewed) and psychological thriller, “Two Summers“(12.21 million hours viewed).  

Criterion Sets ‘Uncut Gems’ 4K Edition for Nov. 23

The Criterion Collection has announced a Nov. 23 street date for the 2019 drama Uncut Gems, which will be released in new Blu-ray Disc, DVD and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray editions.

The film, directed by brothers Josh and Benny Safdie, stars Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a fast-talking New York jeweler and gambler in relentless pursuit of the next big score. When he comes into possession of a rare opal, it seems Howard’s ship has finally come in — as long as he can stay one step ahead of a wife (Idina Menzel) who hates him, a mistress (Julia Fox) who can’t quit him, and a frenzy of loan sharks and hitmen closing in on him.

The cast also includes LaKeith Stanfield, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch and NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett.

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The Criterion edition will boast a new 4K digital transfer approved by the Safdie Brothers, with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack on the 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions. The 4K edition will be a combo pack with the film in Dolby Vision HDR on a 4K disc, and the film with bonus materials on a regular Blu-ray disc.

Extras include an audio commentary from 2019 featuring the Safdies, writer and editor Ronald Bronstein, and producer Sebastian Bear-McClard; new interviews with cinematographer Darius Khondji, costume designer Miyako Bellizzi, production designer Sam Lisenco, and casting director Jennifer Venditti; documentaries from 2019 and 2020 on the making of the film and soundtrack; a screen test featuring actors Adam Sandler and Julia Fox; Goldman v Silverman, a 2020 short film by the Safdies, featuring Sandler and Benny Safdie; Question & Answer, a 2020 short film featuring the Safdies, Sandler, actor Jason Bateman, and comedy writer Megan Amram; audition tapes; deleted and extended scenes, including a full performance of “The Morning” by The Weeknd; trailers; and an essay by film critic J. Hoberman and, for the 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions, a 2020 discussion of the film by the editorial staff of Jewish Currents magazine.

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The film was previously released by Lionsgate on Blu-ray in March 2020 with just a making-of featurette. Criterion DVD and Blu-ray editions had previously been earmarked for an Oct. 26 release.

Uncut Gems becomes Criterion’s fourth 4K release in November, joining Citizen Kane, Mulholland Dr. and Menace II Society among the boutique distributor’s first slate of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray titles.

Uncut Gems

BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Lionsgate;
Drama;
Box Office $50 million;
$29.99 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray;
Rated ‘R’ for pervasive strong language, violence, some sexual content and brief drug use.
Stars Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch.

A disturbing and offbeat thriller from the Safdie brothers, Uncut Gems offers what is undoubtedly the best performance of Adam Sandler’s career.

Sandler plays Howard, a New York jeweler and gambling addict who is deeply indebted to loan sharks. He manages to get his hands on a rare Ethiopian black opal expecting to auction it off to raise the money to pay his debts. Yet his fortunes continue to spiral out of control as he desperately tries to stay one step ahead of his past catching up with him.

Sandler’s reputation for comedy creates a certain expectation among viewers that lends to the film’s sense of unease, as it undercuts seeming moments of levity with an undercurrent of tension that always threatens to boil over. Sandler’s presence makes it easy to root for Howard despite his constant penchant for screwing up his own life. It could almost be considered a comedy of errors if it weren’t so gritty.

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Set in 2012, the film ties Howard’s predicaments to the real-life NBA playoff series between Boston and Philadelphia, with former Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett playing himself as a client of Howard. Garnett becomes obsessed with the opal, believing it gives him good luck as the series progresses, which puts Howard in a bind as he needs to hand it over to the auction house while outrunning the enforcers of his bookies, who won’t let him make any additional bets to cover his losses.

One of the highlights of the film is a starmaking turn by newcomer Julia Fox as Howard’s employee and mistress, the kind of arm candy every middle-aged sad sack wants to envision by their side.

The Blu-ray includes the featurette “Money on the Street,” a half-hour making-of video that details the extensive production history of the film, which is based on real elements from the Safdie’s own childhood remembrances of their father’s stories about the diamond district. The featurette offers some good insights from the filmmakers and cast about its themes of aspirations outpacing ability.

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Netflix Expands Adam Sandler Production Deal

Fresh off the release of Murder Mystery, Adam Sandler’s most popular Netflix film to date, the SVOD behemoth extended its deal with Sandler and Happy Madison Productions to make four more films.

Netflix said subscribers have spent two billion hours watching Sandler films since 2015 — the year The Ridiculous 6 premiered.

“Whether you know him as Sandman, the Water Boy, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Nick Spitz or simply Adam, one thing is clear: our members can’t get enough of him,” Ted Sarandos, chief content officer, said in a statement. “They love his stories and his humor, as we saw with Murder Mystery. So I could not be more excited to extend our partnership with Adam and the Happy Madison team and deliver more laughs around the world.”

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Sandler is currently starring in Josh and Benny Safdie’s critically acclaimed Uncut Gems, which is being released in U.S. theaters by A24. The film was released globally (excluding the U.S.) on Netflix on Jan. 31. Sandler was named Best Actor for his portrayal of Howard Ratner by the National Board of Review, Las Vegas Film Critics Society, Boston Society of Film Critics, Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, St. Louis Film Critics Association, Austin Film Critics Association, AARP Movies for Grown Ups and is nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Sandler was Emmy nominated for his Netflix original comedy special 100% Fresh and for his “Saturday Night Live” hosted episode this season. Murder Mystery, which co-stars Jennifer Aniston, won The People’s Choice Award for Best Comedy of 2019.

Later this year, Sandler will star in the Netflix family film, Hubie Halloween alongside Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, Maya Rudolph, Rob Schneider, Kenan Thompson, Steve Buscemi, Michael Chiklis, Tim Meadows, Noah Schnapp, Paris Berelc, China Anne McClain and Shaquille O’Neal, and has animated feature film that he will write, produce, and star in as a voice actor in the works at the studio.

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The Ridiculous 6 was the first film Sandler made with Netflix, followed by The Do-Over, Sandy Wexler, The Week Of, Murder Mystery and stand-up special “100% Fresh.” Additionally, Happy Madison has produced Father of the Year and the upcoming The Wrong Missy.

Sandler, whose films have grossed more than $3 billion, dominated box offices around the world with such films as Grown Ups, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, Billy Madison, Big Daddy and The Waterboy. In 2014, the multi-hyphenate actor, writer, producer and occasional singer-songwriter set his sights on conquering the streaming world and his films have found enormous success on Netflix.

Sandler began his career as a stand-up comedian and joined Saturday Night Live as a writer and featured player before founding Happy Madison Productions. He went on to star, produce and write numerous films which went on to become box office hits.

By the Numbers:

  • 2 Billion: Since 2015, the year The Ridiculous 6 premiered, members have spent more than two billion hours watching Adam Sandler on Netflix.
  • 83 Million: The number of households that picked Murder Mystery in its first four weeks on Netflix.
  • #1 Most Popular: Murder Mystery was the most popular title on Netflix in the U.S. last year, and its most popular film. It was also the number one most popular title in eight other countries including Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Singapore and UAE.
  • 6: The number of films Sandler has made with Netflix: The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over, Sandy Wexler, The Week Of and Murder Mystery. Family film Hubie Halloween will be released later this year.
  • 22 Years: Last year, Sandler released his first stand-up special in 22 years, “100% Fresh,” which The New York Times said found “pitch-perfect emotionalism” and reminds everyone why he’s so beloved and one of the funniest comedians of our time.

 

Adam Sandler Thriller ‘Uncut Gems’ Due on Digital Feb. 25, Disc March 10

The thriller Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler, arrives on digital Feb. 25 from A24 and on Blu-ray combo pack (plus DVD and digital) and DVD March 10 from Lionsgate.

In the film, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Sandler plays a charismatic jeweler who makes a high-stakes bet that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. In a precarious high-wire act, he must balance business and family, fending off adversaries on all sides in pursuit of the ultimate win.

Co-written and directed by brothers Josh and Benny Safdie (writers and directors of Good Time), the film also stars LaKeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, and Judd Hirsch.

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Special features include a making-of featurette.

Netflix Unveils its Top 10 Programs in U.S.

Netflix via Twitter unveiled the top 10 most popular series, films and documentaries released on the service in the United States in 2019.

The feature comedy Murder Mystery, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, topped the overall list. It was also the top movie.

The lists are based on titles released on Netflix in 2019 and are ranked based on accounts that choose to watch 2 minutes or more of a title during its first 28 days on the service this year. The service noted that titles released this month may incorporate viewing predictions.

The top 10 most popular releases:

  1. Murder Mystery
  2. “Stranger Things 3”
  3. 6 Underground
  4. The Incredibles 2
  5. The Irishman
  6. “The Witcher”
  7. Triple Frontier
  8. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
  9. “The Umbrella Academy”
  10. The Highwayman

 

The top 10 most popular series releases:

  1. “Stranger Things 3”
  2. “The Witcher”
  3. “The Umbrella Academy”
  4. “Dead to Me”
  5. “You: S2”
  6. “When They See Us”
  7. “Unbelievable”
  8. “Sex Education”
  9. “13 Reasons Why: S3”
  10. “Raising Dion”

 

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The top 10 most popular movie releases:

  1. Murder Mystery
  2. 6 Underground
  3. The Incredibles 2
  4. The Irishman
  5. Triple Frontier
  6. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
  7. The Highwayman
  8. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
  9. Ralph Breaks the Internet
  10. Secret Obsession

 

The top 10 most popular documentary releases:

  1. Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
  2. Our Planet
  3. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
  4. Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce
  5. Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
  6. Abducted in Plain Site
  7. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
  8. The Family
  9. Street Food
  10. Kevin Hart: Don’t F**k This Up

 

For more Netflix U.S. top 10s see the Twitter thread.

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Netflix: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston Comedy ‘Murder Mystery’ Sets Biggest Opening Weekend with 30.8 Million Views

Netflix June 18 disclosed that its new Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston original comedy, Murder Mystery, set an all-time weekend streaming record with 30.87 million views.

The second Netflix comedy movie starring Sandler and Aniston — which launched June 14 — generated 13.37 million views in the United States and 17.5 million worldwide through June 15.

Netflix disclosed the info on Twitter.

The SVOD behemoth, which is typically reticent disclosing viewership data, has opened up this year revealing streaming data on select original movies, including Will Smith’s Bright with 11 million views; Bird Box with Sandra Bullock (45 million views) and The Christmas Chronicles (25 million) with Kurt Russell.

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Animated ‘Hotel Transylvania 3’ to Haunt Fans on Digital Sept. 25, Disc Oct. 9 From Sony

The animated Hotel Transylvania 3 will make its debut on Digital HD Sept. 25, and on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD Oct. 9 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

The family comedy has grossed more than $425 million in theaters worldwide.

In the third installment in the series, Mavis surprises Dracula with a family voyage on a luxury, haunted monster cruise ship. The unexpected happens when Drac falls for the ship’s human captain Ericka.

The voice cast includes Adam Sandler (Grown-Ups), Andy Samberg (TV’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Selena Gomez (Spring Breakers), Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2), David Spade (TV’s “Rules of Engagement”), Steve Buscemi (TV’s “Boardwalk Empire”), Keegan Michael Key (TV’s “Key and Peele”), Molly Shannon (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Fran Drescher (TV’s “The Nanny”), Kathryn Hahn (Bad Moms), Jim Gaffigan (Super Troopers 2) and Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein).

Bonus materials include three sing alongs, “Dennis Had a Giant Dog,” sung by Dennis & Winnie, “Monsters Like to Party Down,” sung by Johnny, and “Oh These Wolf Pups,” sung by Wanda Werewolf; the featurette “Plan Your Own Spook-tacular Sleepover,” with details on snacks to crafts to games; a “Vampire Make Over: Mavis and Drac Tutorial,” about how to turn yourself into Hotel Transylvania 3 characters; “Behind the Screams – The Voices of Hotel Transylvania 3,” showing how the characters are brought to life in the recording booth; “Johnny’s Home Movies (Franchise Recap)”; “I See Love Monster Dance Party Dance Along”; “Drac’s Zing-tastic Read Along”; and two mini movies, “Puppy and “Goodnight Mr. Foot.”

Netflix Announces New Toni Collette Series, Movie Reuniting Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston

Netflix announced a new series starring Toni Collette and a new movie reuniting Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever have been cast in “Unbelievable,” a series based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning article by The Marshall Project and ProPublica, “An Unbelievable Story of Rape.” Collette and Wever will play detectives whose lives become intertwined in their mutual pursuit of a possible serial rapist.

Sandler and Aniston, who teamed in Just Go With It, will reunite in Murder Mystery, due in 2019. It follows a NYC cop (Sandler) who finally takes his wife (Aniston) on a long promised European trip. A chance meeting on the flight with a mysterious man (Luke Evans) gets them invited to an intimate family gathering on the Super Yacht of elderly billionaire Malcolm Quince. When Quince is murdered, they become the prime suspects.

Directed by Kyle Newacheck, the film also stars Gemma Arterton (Their Finest, The Girl With All The Gifts), Luis Gerardo Mendez (Club de Cuervos, Nosotros Los Nobles, Time Share), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool 2), David Walliams (Little Britain), Adeel Akhtar (The Big Sick, Murdered By My Father, Four Lions), John Kani (Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, The Lion King), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Meg, True Detective, The BFG), Dany Boon (R.A.I.D. Special Unit, Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis) and Terence Stamp (Miss Peregrine’s, The Limey, A Song For Marion).