Amazon Prime claims a big victory as Coming 2 America, the sequel to the 1988 comedic blockbuster, opens to a grand reception. The movie clocks the biggest streaming opening weekend of the past year, according to streaming surveys by Screen Engine/ASI.

Unlike with Netflix, Screen Engine doesn’t reveal the viewership numbers, so we have no way of knowing what the margin of the record was. But according to the survey, the movie edged out Paramount +’s The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run and Disney +’s Raya and the Last Dragon.

Not only does the Eddie Murphy-led sequel claim the highest figure for 2021, it also posts the highest number for opening weekends since the pandemic began. This beats out the likes of Prime’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and HBO Max’s Wonder Woman 1984. 

What helped the latter two was acting as sequels to extremely popular films that still exist in recent memory. But Coming 2 America had an over three decade long gap to bridge and successfully had to capitalize on the nostalgia of the first film. While the film did receive mixed reviews, this streaming feat clearly shows that Murphy is still capable of catching the attention of the market like he used to.

Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke released a statement about the film’s opening, saying, “The Zamunda Royal family has arrived and audiences around the globe welcomed them enthusiastically! The premiere of Coming 2 America has far exceeded any of our wildest expectations. It’s clear an entire new generation of fans have joined the enormous loyal fanbase who already adored the magical world created by global phenom Eddie Murphy, the incredibly talented filmmaking team and the hilarious, all-star cast of existing and newly-cemented legends. Coming 2 America is the perfectly fun, celebratory, escapist, feel-good comedy movie that worldwide audiences needed.”

The film stars Murphy and Arsenio Hall reprising their original roles as Prince Akeem and Semmi, along with Leslie Jones, Jermaine Fowler, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, and James Earl Jones.