The film, which has grossed about $23 million in theaters, received a PVOD release just after its third weekend in theaters. That’s the Universal/Focus model. This quick transition came against the backdrop of a Memorial Day weekend in which “A Quiet Place Part II” (Paramount) and “Cruella” (Disney) led theaters to their strongest weekend in over a year. Both “Wrath” and “Spiral” (Lionsgate) have chosen to cash in on at-home potential, even as theaters rebound, rather than wait and continue to add to their theatrical take. For “Wrath,” we have no sense other than relative position of its success. Both films each will return about $16 (80 percent) of the rental earned — a much higher share than what theaters provide.
The case for going earlier may have been buttressed by the results for “The Unholy” (Sony). The Screen Gems horror entry held back eight weeks before hitting PVOD. In its first week, it charted only on the two revenue-counting charts, third at both, behind not only “Wrath” but also long-available “Godzilla vs. Kong” (Warner Bros.). Meantime, Disney is getting 100 percent of the the $29.99 Disney+ subscribers are paying to see “Cruella.” We lack even a sense of relative performance, with these numbers closely held by the company. That absence makes judging the success of this model impossible, other than simply waiting to see how much of a model it becomes in the future. Paramount The take for Paramount from the “Quiet Place” franchise, despite its 45 day theater-exclusive release (before going to Paramount+), had a VOD side. The initial 2018 film, with a $2.99 price, placed #2 at Apple TV/iTunes and #3 at Google Play. It also was the top non-PVOD title on FandangoNow and Vudu. Though the money taken in at that price might be modest, it serves as a lead-in for potential ticket buyers. In a week with the least variety of entries seen since the start of reporting on VOD (only 15 total titles made lists, seven of them Premium), half made all four. Along with “Quiet” and “Wrath,” “The Marksman” (Open Road), “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Disney), “Nobody” (Universal), and “Godzilla” all placed on every one of the lists.
Among the more token theatrically released titles, “Four Good Days” (Vertical) on three charts and “The Dry” (IFC) on two were the standouts, both non-PVOD after same day home release. “Chaos Walking” (Lionsgate), now at $6.99, placed on three. The sole new non-PVOD entry was “The Water Man” (Vertical) directed by and starring Daniel Oyelowo. Netflix’s top 10 has two significant elements this week. The first is the quick drop for Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead.” Only out for 11 days, it now ranks only #4. Among other recent originals, “The Mitchells vs the Machines” was #1 for two weeks, while “Woman in the Window” was #3 also after its own first 11 days on the service. Rankings don’t convey volume of viewing. “Army” could have had an intense initial rush in its first weekend and a higher number of total viewings. One thing may have nothing to do with the other, but it’s hard to see that the film was helped by its one-week early release in a substantial number of theaters. What drives Netflix’s movie watching is animation. Five of the current top 10 are from this group, including new #1 original “Dog Gone Trouble” and #2 “Home” from DreamWorks. “Trouble” is a 2019 independent production that had some international theatrical play but not in the U.S. It’s aimed squarely at less demanding audiences looking for entertainment aimed at kids. Its initial success just reinforces how animated films, from the most sophisticated to less so, can easily attract big viewership. Apple TV/ITunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions, irrespective of revenue accrued. These are the listings for Tuesday, June 1 Apple TV/iTunes
Google Play
FandangoNOW
Vudu
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking as of Tuesday, June 1; originals include both Netflix-produced and -acquired titles
