Adam Sandler, Dave Chapelle Thriving Financially Off Netflix Deals

Despite horrible reviews, Sandler has made roughly $50 million in the past year.

June 12, 2017 11:03 am
Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler in ‘The Ridiculous Six’ (Netflix)

Maybe many viewers don’t find Adam Sandler‘s Netflix movies all that funny, but the SNL veteran is laughing all the way to the bank.

Despite the impression that his box office heyday is behind him, Sandler has made an estimated $50.5 million in the past year largely from a Netflix deal, Forbes is reporting.

The streaming service noted in April that its viewers have spent an average of five hours each watching Sandler movies since December 2015, when the first comedy flick in his Netflix deal debuted.

He’s not the only once and future A-lister taking advantage of the new pop culture landscape: Dave Chapelle has been paid $20 million per hour for his three specials on Netflix, while Chris Rock is getting $20 million for each of his two standup specials.

For Sandler, the lifeline couldn’t come at a better time. The once proud schlock comedy box office king had been in a tailspin: That’s My Boy (2012) managed earned $36.9 million on a $70 million budget.

Two years later, Sandler signed a $250 million deal to make four movies exclusively for Netflix. The first one, The Ridiculous Six (2015), was so bad it drew a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it became the most-viewed film on the service in the first month.

Netflix seems to have rave reviews for its Sandler movies. It announced another four movies with the actor in March.

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