Adam Sandler’s box-office appeal took yet another blow over the weekend as his latest film, Pixels, opened to a disappointing $24m (£15m). But one person who isn’t worried about the result is Netflix boss Ted Sarandos.

Sarandos, the company’s chief content officer, lured Sandler to Netflix for a four-picture deal and has come out in defence of the star.

“[I’m] thrilled,” he told the Hollywood Reporter when asked about the deal. “Not to give you a defensive answer there. I definitely don’t have to defend Adam Sandler.”

While Pixels has had a rough start in the US, the action comedy – about aliens attacking earth in the form of classic arcade games – has had a solid $25m international start.

“That’s why we made a deal with Adam Sandler: because he’s an enormous international movie star,” Sarandos said. “That $25m opening for Pixels is pretty respectable, and I think it will continue to grow. We are more encouraged than ever, and that split of US and international box office is exciting.”

The budget for Pixels is an estimated $88m, a figure it may not make back in the US alone. It’s the latest underperforming film for Sandler, following Blended, That’s My Boy and Jack & Jill.

His deal with Netflix has already attracted controversy after his comedy western The Ridiculous Six came under fire for allegedly racist treatment of Native American actors. Sandler has called it a “misunderstanding”.