Netflix film strategy extends with Sandler exclusives

Netflix has penned a deal with movie actor Adam Sandler to bring four of his next feature films exclusively to the service.

Under terms of the deal, films from Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions will debut on Netflix in all territories it operates in. Sandler will produce and star in the titles.

Sandler’s current studio commitments are not included in the agreement.

This comes just days after Netflix stepped into the original film business by bagging exclusive rights to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2: The Green Legend. The film will debut on the service on select IMAX cinema screens.

Netflix said Sandler’s movies, which include The Wedding Singer, Anger Management and 50 First Dates, “consistently rank among the most viewed by Netflix members” in the US and internationally.

“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 US but all over the world,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos (pictured).

“When these fine people came to me with an offer to make four movies for them, I immediately said yes for one reason and one reason only….Netflix rhymes with ‘wet chicks’,” said Sandler. ““Let the streaming begin!”

The movie business has been rocked by Netflix’s aggressive first-window feature film move, with some cinema chains saying they would boycott the Crouching Tiger… sequel in protest.

AMC Theatres ­– one of the US’s biggest cinema chains – released a terse statement saying it and Chinese parent firm Wanda Cinema would not run the film in their IMAX theatres.

“We license just the technology from IMAX. Only AMC and Wanda decide what programming plays in our respective theatres. No one has approached us to license this made-for-video sequel in the US or China, so one must assume the screens IMAX committed are in science centers and aquariums.”