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15. 'You Don't Mess With The Zohan' (2008)
Lifetime Gross: $100,018,837
Theatres: 3,466
Co-written by Sandler, Robert Smigel (of ‘SNL’ and ‘Conan O’Brien’ fame), and soon-to-be Hollywood titan Judd Apatow, ‘Don’t Mess With The Zohan’ had the world asking, “What’s a Zohan?” Once that was cleared up, audiences could concentrate (or not) on the sight gags and over-the-top accents in a film that played its own part in trying to ease tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.
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14. 'Just Go With It' (2011)
Lifetime Gross: $103,028,109
Theatres: 3,548
One of the more recent films in the top 15, ‘Just Go With It’ began life as a French comedy. Then it was made into a Broadway play. Then it was made into a movie starring Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, and Goldie Hawn in 1952. Then it was made into this film, with Jennifer Aniston playing Sandler’s loyal assistant, who is coerced into playing his soon-to-be ex-wife to cover up a lie Sandler tells his much younger girlfriend.
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13. 'Bedtime Stories' (2008)
Lifetime Gross: $110,101,975
Theatres: 3,684
Another film that, like ‘Click’, revolved around a fantastical, “what if” premise. ‘Bedtime Stories’ was released in 2008, several months after ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’, the film that introduced North American audiences to Russell Brand. As in that film, Brand stole every scene he was in.
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12. 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry' (2007)
Lifetime Gross: $120,059,556
Theatres: 3,501
Another Sandler-James joint, ‘Chuck & Larry’ is also the third film in which Sandler stars with fellow SNL alum Dan Aykroyd (the other two being 1993’s ‘Coneheads’ and 2004’s ’50 First Dates’)
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11. '50 First Dates' (2004)
Lifetime Gross: $120,908,074
Theatres: 3,612
’50 First Dates’ reunited Sandler with Drew Barrymore, intent on rekindling the chemistry that was clearly on display in their earlier collaboration, ‘The Wedding Singer’. To digress slightly, that film – considered by many to be Sandler’s best comedy – ranks 16.
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10. 'Mr. Deeds' (2010)
Lifetime Gross: $126,293,452
Theatres: 3,239
Sandler mined familiar territory with another remake, this time bringing Frank Capra’s ‘Mr. Deeds Goes To Town’ – the story of a naïve small-towner inheriting billions -- into the 21st century.
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9. 'Grown Ups 2' (2013)
Lifetime Gross: $133,668,525
Theatres: 3,491
Adam and the gang had so much fun making the first film, they did it again.
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8. 'Anger Management' (2003)
Lifetime Gross: $135,645,823
Theatres: 3,656
A film about anger management? Seemed like a perfect fit for Sandler, whose funniest deliveries come when rage takes over and he transitions from inside voice to outside voice instantaneously. Add in an Oscar winner in Jack Nicholson and you have the ingredients for a top-notch comedy, right?
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7. 'Click' (2006)
Lifetime Gross: $137,355,633
Theatres: 3,764
With an interesting premise, ‘Click’ is a fun movie with heavier themes than some of Sandler's other movies. (But don't worry... the fart jokes are still in tact.)
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6. 'Hotel Transylvania' (2012)
Lifetime Gross: $148,313,048
Theatres: 3,375
Even more ‘SNL’ alums contribute to this animated tale of Dracula, whose resort for monsters is breached by a human boy who has the hots for Drac’s daughter. Joining Molly Shannon, Bill Parnell, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Andy Samberg, and Rob Riggle are Jackie and Sadie Sandler, Adam’s real-life wife and daughter.
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5. 'The Longest Yard' (2005)
Lifetime Gross: $158,119,460
Theatres: 3,654
Sandler stars in this remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds flick (Reynolds appears alongside Sander in the remake as Coach Scarborough). Along for the ride are the usual faces of Chris Rock and Rob Schneider, as well as several professional wrestlers (Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Dalip Singh, Bill Goldberg) and former professional football players (Terry Crews, Brian Bosworth, Michael Irvin, Bill Romanowski).
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4. 'The Waterboy' (1998)
Lifetime Gross: $161,491,646
Theatres: 2,782
Sandler resurrected elements of his ‘Herlihy Boy’ character (curiously, ‘Herlihy’ is also the surname of Sandler’s co-writer) from ‘Saturday Night Live’ to create Bobby Boucher, the waterboy-cum-football player. The film would be the first of two to revolve around football (see previous slide for the other); it was also the second of two films to feature an oddball whose unique skills see him shoehorned into a sport (see ‘Happy Gilmore’).
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3. 'Grown Ups' (2010)
Lifetime Gross: $162,001,186
Theatres: 3,534
The ‘SNL’ alum has been criticized for using his movies as thinly veiled opportunities for he and his former co-stars to hang out and what’s more, get paid for it. Never was this veil thinner than in the ‘Grown Ups’ series, in which Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider and an ersatz Chris Farley in the form of Kevin James get together and act like big kids. They had so much fun, in fact, that the original running time of the film was over three hours long.
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2. 'Big Daddy' (1999)
Lifetime Gross: $163,479,795
Theatres: 3,254
‘Big Daddy’ is Sandler at the peak of his powers and popularity. His ‘Peter Pan/boy who wouldn’t grow up’ routine is perfected, making 'Big Daddy' one of his most successful films to date. As for the kid(s), you know him as Ross's son on 'Friends', as well as the stars of ‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’.
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1. 'Hotel Transylvania 2' (2015)
Lifetime Gross: $169,700,110
Theatres: 3,768
Sandler “starred” in and, this time round, co-wrote this computer-animated sequel in which Dracula puts his half-breed grandson through the paces with hopes the boy discovers his ghoulish side. Even in animated form, Kevin James is never too far away from his buddy, with ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ marking the tenth film or series in which the pair have worked together.
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