‘Leo’ Scores Biggest Debut Ever For Netflix Animated Film

In its first six days on the platform, Netflix’s new Adam Sandler vehicle Leo enjoyed the biggest debut yet for an original Netflix animated feature.

During this period, the film chalked up 34.6 million views, totalling 61.7m hours viewed. It was the no. 1 film on the streamer’s weekly Global Top 10 list, and the most-viewed title across the service. (Netflix defines views for a title as the total hours viewed divided by the total runtime.)

The streamer’s biggest original animated feature launch to date is The Sea Beast which was viewed 165 million hours in its first 28 days. If Sandler’s gruff old lizard keeps up the pace, Leo has a good shot of taking the all-time crown for the streamer’s most-viewed animation title.

Netflix has supported Leo with a robust marketing campaign including free sneak peek theatrical screenings in 150 U.S. locations and a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Directed by long-time Sandler collaborators Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel, and David Wachtenheim, Leo holds a solid 82% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes backed up by excellent public approval scores at 94%. Smigel, Sandler, and Paul Sado wrote the screenplay. Animation was handled by Animal Logic (The Lego Movie, DC League of Super-Pets), which was acquired by Netflix last year.