Adam Sandler comedy was watched by 31m accounts in its opening weekend, according to streaming giant’s own figures

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Adam Sandler’s latest film in his eight-movie deal with Netflix has broken the streaming giant’s record for opening weekend views.

Murder Mystery is a Europe-set comedy in which Sandler stars as an American cop who becomes embroiled in a homicide case while on a belated honeymoon with his hairdresser wife (Jennifer Aniston).

The film, which was released on Friday, was streamed by 30.9m accounts in its first three days. Netflix’s numbers are not independently verified but the company says it only counts views if at least 70% of a film has been watched.

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In 2015, Sandler signed a four-film deal with Netflix, which was extended for a further four in 2017. Other recent successes for the company include Ben Affleck thriller Triple Frontier, which has been seen by more than 52m accounts in its first four weeks, and its documentary Fyre seen by more than 20m.

Until Murder Mystery, Netflix says its biggest hit was Bird Box, the postapocalyptic thriller starring Sandra Bullock, which recorded 45m views over its first full week on release. Netflix have not released comparable opening-weekend figures for Bird Box.