Explosive VOD weekend: cinemas suffer, but not so much studios

Sure, "Top Gun: Maverick" (Paramount/$19.99) is the #1 movie on all VOD charts its first week and will likely remain so for quite a while, but that wasn't the only success. As cinema attendance hit new lows with no new product and aging summer hits, this weekend was perhaps the most profitable weekend ever for home viewing platforms. .

VOD sites now benefit from summer theatrical hits, including "Maverick," "Nope" (Universal/$19.99), and "DC League of Super-Pets" (WBD). among early releases – none of which are available on studio streaming sites. Meanwhile, Netflix seems to be counter-scheduling with some very original programming that includes titles that may have once been destined for theaters.

"Easter Sunday" (Universal $19.99) rounds out the new releases placed this week (but only on Vudu, which ranks by revenue). Higher-priced titles topped the charts, taking 25 of the possible 30 slots. The handful of lower-cost entries included A24's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and Lionsgate's "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent", as well as a single placement for Tom Cruise's 2004 "Minority Report" (at originally a Fox version, now owned by Disney).

Related Related

For perhaps the first time ever, all 10 movies listed by Vudu cost $19.99. This suggests a major increase in home viewing. Theaters are hurting, but with PVOD performances like this, studios can make up the difference.

"No"

screenshot

Joining "Maverick", "Nope" and "DC League" on the three leaderboards are "Elvis" (WBD), "Minions: The Rise of Gru" (Universal) and "Jurassic World: Dominion" (Universal), although all are lower than previous weeks. Google Play continues to feature the original and expansion versions of "Dominion" separately, which other charts combine.

Netflix has four new original titles. "Me Time", starring Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg as well as Regina Hall, is No. 1. Directed by John Hamburg ("Little Fockers," "I Love You, Man"), two longtime pals connect when one of them spends a free (and wild) weekend away from his wife and wife. family.

Other new movies again show the diversity of Netflix. Its No. 2 title is the documentary “Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee”. "Loving Adults", a Danish crime thriller is No. 4. “It’s Amor,” a romantic comedy from Los Angeles, is No. 9. Previous No. 1 originals like “Look Both Ways” (No. 3), “Day Shift (No. 5) and “The Gray Man (#10) suggest that his investment in originals attracts many viewers for an extended period.

The one that didn't do so well was "The Next 365 Days", which dropped into the top 10 after one week, despite the huge success of the franchise's first two entries.

iTunes and Google Play rank movies daily based on the number of transactions. These are the lists for August 29. The distributors listed are the current rights holders. Prices for all titles are for rental.

itunes