This week, the top title for at-home viewing is all a matter of perspective. New releases “Elemental” (Disney) and “No Hard Feelings” (Sony) took the top position at Vudu and iTunes, respectively, while last week’s unanimous #1 “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony) kept the lead spot at GooglePlay. With “The Pope’s Exorcist” now #1 at Netflix, Sony topped three out of four lists.
Expect more changes to come: “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (Paramount) reportedly debuts August 29 and unconfirmed reports have the PVOD of “Barbie” (Warner Bros.) as soon as September 5.
It’s notable that “Elemental” doesn’t dominate. The Pixar film sustained a better-than-anticipated theatrical run of $151 million domestic — five times its opening weekend — and $458 million worldwide. But with a reported $200 million production cost before marketing, it needs a very strong post-theatrical response that starts with PVOD.
Both “Elemental” and “No Hard Feelings” debuted as $19.99 sale titles rather than 72-hour rentals. The sale-first strategy might indicate studios saw an opportunity to generate immediate revenue against the dog days of summer with few new theatrical releases.
“Spider-Verse,” “Elemental,” and “Feelings” comprised the top three titles on all the sites. “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate, $5.99) is #4 everywhere, “Cobweb” (Lionsgate, $6.99), and “The Little Mermaid” (Disney, still $19.99) complete the lineup on all charts.
Along with the success of “Pope’s Exorcist” at Netflix, its top 10 movies included five originals. The U.S./Chinese animated co-production “The Monkey King” is #2 and the other two new entries are “Unknown: Hall of Shame,” the latest in the series of sports non-fiction films at #5 (a previous installment, “Untold:” Johnny Football” is #9), and the Brazilian documentary “A Life Too Short: The Isabella Nardoni Case” #8. “Heart of Stone” with Gal Gadot, #1 last week, fell to third.
iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions. These are the listings for Monday, August 21. Distributors listed are current rights owners. Prices for all titles are for rental.
iTunes
1.No Hard Feelings (Sony) – $19.99
2. Elemental (Disney) – $19.99
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony) – $6.99
4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) – $5.99
5. Kandahar (Open Road) – $19.99
6. Sisu (Lionsgate) – $5.99
7.The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) – $5.99
8. Cobweb (Liongate) – $19.99
9. The Little Mermaid (Disney)- $19.99
10. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount) – $5.99
Google Play
1.Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony) – $19.99
2. Elemental (Disney) – $19.99
3. No Hard Feelings (Sony) – $19.99
4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) – $5.99
5. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) – $5.99
6. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount) – $5.99
7. The Flash (WB) – $19.99
8. The Little Mermaid (Disney) – $19.99
9. Cobweb (Lionsgate) – $6.99
10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney) – $12.99
Vudu
Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, elevating premium VOD titles. This list covers August 14-20.
1. Elemental (Disney) – $19.99
2. No Hard Feelings (Sony) – $19.99
3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Sony) – $19.99
4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) – $5.99
5. Guardiansof the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney) – $12.99
6. The Flash (WB) – $19.99
7. Insidious: The Red Door (Sony) – $19.99
8. The Little Mermaid (Disney) – $19.99
9. Fast X (Universal) – $19.99
10. Cobweb (Lionsgate) – $6.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking on Netflix’s daily chart on Monday, August 21 Originals include both Netflix-produced and acquired titles it initially presents in the U.S. Netflix publishes its own weekly top 10 on Tuesdays based on time viewed
1. The Pope’s Exorcist (2023 theatrical release)
2. The Monkey King (Netflix animated original)
3. Heart of Stone (Netflix original movie)
4. Despicable Me 2 (2013 theatrical release)
5. Untold: Hall of Shame (Netflix original documentary)
6. River Wild (2023 VOD release)
7. Despicable Me (2010 theatrical release)
8. A Life Too Short: The Isabella Nardoni Case (Netflix Brazilian original documentary)
9. Untold: Johnny Football (Netflix original documentary)
10. Bee Movie (2007 theatrical release)
