Adam Sandler is best known for roles in various comedies, but his Hotel Transylvania movies hold a massive career record that another film might never break. Since his feature film debut in 1989, Sandler has appeared in dozens of movies, with many of his comedic highlights released in the mid-90s and early 2000s. While Sandler may often be connected to his immaturely funny roles in Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Mr. Deeds, and Grown Ups, the actor has done a lot to transform his career as of late, tackling more serious projects and award-worthy parts. Still, his work in the Hotel Transylvania franchise reigns supreme within his filmography.
Based on the story from Todd Durham, Hotel Transylvania launched as an animated movie franchise in 2012. Adam Sandler led the cast, voicing Count Dracula, the vampire and owner of a hotel that served as a safe haven for other monsters, including his own family. In addition to names like Selena Gomez, Andy Sandberg, and Fran Drescher involved, many of Sandler’s famous friends and frequent co-stars voiced characters in the movie, including Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, and Jon Lovitz. Sandler returned for two sequels, voicing the family patriarch, and many of the original voice actors followed suit. Interestingly, Sandler’s Hotel Transylvania movies were his most successful to date.
Adam Sandler’s Top 3 Movies At The Box Office Are From The Hotel Transylvania Franchise
Across all of Adam Sandler’s decades of filmography, his top three most successful movies at the box office were his three Hotel Transylvania movies. For the total worldwide rankings, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation takes the top spot with $527 million, Hotel Transylvania 2 is in second place with $469 million worldwide, and the first Hotel Transylvania is third after it made $378 million (via The Numbers). Domestically, 2015’s Hotel Transylvania has the top spot during Sandler’s career, acquiring $167 million at the box office.
Following Hotel Transylvania‘s record-breaking status within Sandler’s filmography, Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2 are next on the worldwide box office list. Granted, they made almost $300 million less than Sandler’s top move to date in Hotel Transylvania 3. Granted, when looking at the domestic list, the first Hotel Transylvania comes in seventh place, below movies like Big Daddy, Grown Ups, The Waterboy, and The Longest Yard. Streaming and wider availability for the first Hotel Transylvania likely increased interest in the family-friendly franchise, growing box office potential for theatrical sequels.
Why Hotel Transylvania 3’s Record May Never Be Broken By Another Adam Sandler Movie
In the age of truly unpredictable box office performances, it’s impossible to speculate that Hotel Transylvania 3 will forever be Adam Sandler’s most successful movie at the box office. That said, it would genuinely need to be a movie that appeals to more than just his traditional audience. Sandler’s role as Dracula was recast in Hotel Transylvania 4, though it was released on Prime Video instead of streaming, so it wouldn’t have affected his box office records if he did return. Still, the main reason why the franchise has done so well is because its universe focuses on quirky characters that appeal to all ages.
Whether Sandler sticks to adult comedies or continues to grow his list of more serious roles, the potential for box office earnings will be limited if the movies are adult-rated. Sandler would likely need to take part in another family-friendly movie if he wants to try to break the Hotel Transylvania record. Even then, exceeding half a billion worldwide is no easy task. Sandler’s next project is voicing the titular character in the animated movie Leo, but the movie is releasing on Netflix. His other upcoming film, Spaceman, is also coming to Netflix, so the Hotel Transylvania record won’t be broken in the near future.
