Three Movies Claim #1 VOD Slots and None Are Superhero Movies: Is This What Hope Feels Like?
Three new recent theatrical releases, two of which have grossed over $50 million, all of which were in this weekend’s theatrical Top Ten, share the #1 VOD chart spots among the listings we follow. This rare split is accompanied by another never before seen occurrence that may never happen again.
“The Lost City” (Paramount), “The Northman” (Focus), and “The Bad Guys” (Universal), all available to see for $19.99, split up the top spot. That’s unusual. But what is unprecedented is that only 11 films — one more than the bare minimum — made the charts. And the odd film in did so because of one site’s $0.99 promotion.
The three new releases pushed Sony out of the top spot after two months. Since mid-March, either “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Uncharted,” both now $5.99, have led all charts except for one week at one site (Vudu, which tabulates by revenue, the week that “The Batman” debuted).
Sony could easily top one or more chart again next week. “Morbius” will be released on Tuesday, and “Uncharted” now reduced to $5.99 could see a resurgence after a strong at-home run.
Of the three #1 placers, “Bad Guys” (which is #2 in theaters still) was the only one in the top three of all the charts. “The Lost City” actually only made the top three at Vudu. Timing and alternatives explain that.
Vudu’s list is for the full week, while iTunes and GooglePlay cover the current day only. Paramount released “Lost” on Tuesday, giving it a two-day head start on the other two new releases. It got as high as #2 on iTunes before the others came out. Google Play has a lag of several days, so its best position might still be ahead.
“The Lost City”
Paramount
But the Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum adventure/romance also is streaming on Paramount+. The studio gave that most of the marketing attention. That likely served as competition, similar to when Warner Bros. released “The Batman” the same day to both HBO Max and VOD. As always, with no concrete figures this is speculative, but it does appear the public is growing more aware of what a better deal a single month subscription is for these streaming sites compared to the higher one-time PVOD cost.
The paucity of range among films listed mean that all but two made all three charts. Only “The Batman” (with two, missing iTunes) and “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” (Sony) on Google Play also ranked. The latter is #9 at iTunes with a special $0.99 deal at the moment.
Among the three new films, notable is “The Northman,” which grossed far less than either “Bad Guys” or “Lost” in theaters but is just about equal on VOD. That’s a bit of a surprise, since “Bad Guys” as the new family film out might have been expected to dominate. Universal (Focus is their subsidiary) is aggressive in getting recent releases out to home viewing, usually after three weeks. They did this with “Sing” even earlier last January. That animated sequel hit is still on all charts more than four months later.
“The Northman” looks like the type of film that, even with lower theatrical returns, is greatly elevated by that exposure. We’ll see if it manages to sustain a lengthy run. If so, it would provide hefty returns to Focus for a film that is reported to have cost $75 million or more. For “Bad Guys” and “Lost City,” the new revenues are a bonus after what theaters have done. (Paramount waited 47 days to release “City” similar to their standard strategy.)
Netflix returned to an original-film dominated list. Five of their top six, led by the Rebel Wilson-starring comedy “Senior Year,” are home grown, with four of them new this week.
As always, it’s an eclectic list. The sperm donor documentary “Our Father” is currently #2. “Operation Mincemeat,” from John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”) is #4, with “The Perfect Family,” a Spanish comedy #5. Their animated “Marmaduke” at #6 is on its second week.
For subscribers, the early 2022 VOD release “Borrego” (botanist endangered when she is kidnapped by a drug mule) might as well be an original. Unusual this week. Three of the four theatrical titles among the top viewed are from before 2000. Generally, the streamer sticks to more recent titles in their showing from established studios. It’s unclear but they may be reaching out to them to broaden what they offer.
iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions. These are the listings for May 15. Distributors listed are current rights owners.
iTunes
1. The Northman (Focus) – $19.99
2. Uncharted (Sony) – $5.99
3. The Bad Guys (Universal) – $19.99
4. The Lost City (Paramount) – $19.99
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) – $5.99
6. Dog (United Artists) – $5.99
7. Moonfall (Lionsgate) – $5.99
8. Sing 2 (Universal) – $5.99
9. Resident City: Welcome to Raccoon City (Sony) – $0.99
10. Ambulance (Universal) – $19.99
Google Play
1. The Bad Guys (Universal) – $19.99
2. Uncharted (Sony) – $5.99
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) – $5.99
4. The Northman (Focus) – $19.99
5. The Lost City (Paramount) – $19.99
6. Dog (United Artists) – $5.99
7. Sing 2 (Universal) – $5.99
8. Moonfall (Lionsgate) – $5.99
9. The Batman (Warner Bros.) – $24.99
10. Ambulance (Universal) – $19.99
Vudu
Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, which elevates Premium VOD titles. This list covers May 8-14
1. The Lost City (Paramount) – $19.99
2. The Bad Guys (Universal) – $19.99
3. The Northman (Focus) – $19.99
4. Uncharted (Sony) – $5.99
5. Ambulance (Universal) – $19.99
6. Dog (United Artists) – $5.99
7. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) – $5.99
8. Moonfall (Lionsgate) – $5.99
9. The Batman (Warner Bros.) – $24.99
10. Sing 2 (Universal) – $5.99
“Senior Year”
Netflix
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking on Netflix’s daily chart on Monday, May 16; originals include both Netflix-produced and -acquired titles they initially presented in the U.S. Netflix publishes its own weekly top ten on Tuesdays based on time viewed.
1. Senior Year (2022 Netflix original)
2. Our Father (2022 Netflix original documentary)
3. Borrego (2002 VOD release)
4. Operation Mincemeat (2022 Netflix British original)
5. The Perfect Family (2022 Netflix Spanish original)
6. Marmaduke (2022 Netflix animated original)
7. Den of Thieves (2018 theatrical release)
8. Happy Gilmore (1996 theatrical release)
9. U.S. Marshals (1998 theatrical release)
10. Forrest Gump (1994 theatrical release)