Box office milestone for Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler’s latest comedy, “Just Go With It,” passed $100 million at the domestic box office this weekend, making it the 12th film featuring the comedian to pass that financial milestone.

The movie, which stars Sandler as a man who fools women into liking him by pretending that he is getting divorced, was released in mid-February and has since made $100.3 million, according to an estimate from distributor Sony Pictures. The movie has made less money overseas, collecting $62.8 million from 23 foreign markets including Russia, Brazil and Germany.

Since 2000, every film released in more than 2,500 theaters that the actor has been in has made that much money, with the exception of 2009’s “Funny People” and 2004’s “Spanglish.” Both those movies were comedies with strong dramatic plot lines that failed to resonate with broader audiences.

Sandler’s biggest hit in the U.S. was 1999’s “Big Daddy,” about an unlikely foster father, which collected $163.5 million. His lowest-grossing movies were smaller films with darker subject matter. 2007’s “Reign Over Me,” in which he played a man whose family died in 9/11, was released in fewer than 2,000 theaters and made just $19.7 million. The Paul Thomas Anderson-directed “Punch-Drunk Love,” which played in fewer than 1,500 theaters, made $17.8 million in 2002.

Few other comedians hold as much stock with moviegoers as Sandler does at the domestic box office. Eddie Murphy has been in nine live- action films that have topped $100 million, but the majority of those movies were released more than a decade ago. Will Ferrell has had leading roles in five live-action films that have grossed more than $100 million, but in recent years, a number of his movies — including 2009’s “Land of the Lost” and “Semi-Pro” in 2008 — have failed to make even half that much money. Excluding animated films, Ben Stiller has been in eight movies that have made more than $100 million; Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson each have starred in seven $100 million movies and Kevin James in five.

— Amy Kaufman