has consistently delivered comedy gold over the years with fan-favorite hits like Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, and the Hotel Transylvania series. However, every once in a while, a comedic genius delivers a big-screen dud — just ask Eddie Murphy. (2010) and its lazily titled sequel (2013) are two such examples of Sandler sinkers, but that’s the beauty of streaming. Modern-day Sandler fans who haven't seen the movie yet can decide for themselves when both films become available to stream for absolutely free on Tubi beginning April Fools’ Day.
Grown Ups and its follow-up both took advantage of genius creative and marketing strategies as the films teamed up Sandler with some of Hollywood’s best and brightest comedic actors, including Kevin James, David Spade, and Chris Rock. Nevertheless, the original 2010 team-up was lambasted by the critics, and their reviews resulted in Grown Ups receiving an absurdly low 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, Grown Ups 2 performed even worse and registered only 8% on the RT Tomatometer.
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Sadly, fans posted a myriad mixture of positive and negative reactions to Rotten Tomatoes, which didn’t help either's case, but at least their Popcornmeter ratings, formerly the RT audience score, were considerably higher in both instances. Grown Ups checked in with a respectable 62% on the Popcornmeter, but Grown Ups 2 splatted at 53%. However, as die-hard movie fans know, it’s a film’s box office numbers that make the world go round en route to measuring its financial success.
Obviously, Grown Ups 3 never happened, but it’s not because the Adam Sandler, Kevin James, David Spade, and Chris Rock duology tanked during the two movies' respective theatrical runs. On the contrary, both Grown Ups ($162 million) and Grown Ups 2 ($133.7 million) rank as two of the highest-grossing feature films domestically which star the Happy Gilmore icon. Plus, they had an even greater impact on a worldwide scale as only three of Sandler’s flicks made more money globally than Grown Ups and its follow-up. Check out the blockbuster numbers below:
Critics may have panned the Grown Ups movies, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are the highest-grossing live-action Sandler films on the global stage. It’s also worth noting that the fans’ reactions on Rotten Tomatoes might not accurately assess the quality of Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2, which each received its own "B" CinemaScore. For those who aren’t familiar with the difference between RT’s Popcornmeter (audience score) and a CinemaScore, the latter gauges moviegoers’ reactions as they come out of the theater after having just seen a film.
The truth of the matter is that neither will ever be confused with great movies which deserve to be ranked among Adam Sandler’s best films, but Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2 are far better than their Tomatometer and Popcornmeter ratings on Rotten Tomatoes would suggest. So, starting on April 1, those who’ve never seen them before can make up their own minds when both start streaming for absolutely free on Tubi.
Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, The Numbers
