Just after a reported first quarter loss of $1.23 billion, Paramount has something to cheer this week. “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” ($19.99), released after its fifth weekend in theaters, is #1 on all VOD charts.
Reading the tea leaves that studios provide to figure out strategies is confusing. Paramount two weeks ago released “Scream VI” ($19.99) on both their own streaming platform and on PVOD. The much bigger-grossing horror film only reached #1 at Vudu (which ranks by revenue, not transactions), and at the end of its second week, only shows up on one of the three top ten lists.
As always, we are in the dark about the revenues a film ranked at #1 takes in. We do know that at a $19.99 price, Paramount recoups around $14/transaction. It appears they conceded much of that for “Scream VI,” hoping that it boosted the Paramount+ subscription interest. Again, this is mostly a mystery, though it is logical to assume its play there got a lot of viewing and possibly more subscribers.
At the same time, Sony, the only one of the top five studios to not have an in-house streaming platform, continues to provide #1 ranked films on the Netflix top ten. “A Man Called Otto,” coming there only four months after its wide release, follows “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” which was #1 two weeks ago.
Other than “D&D” taking over at #1, three other new titles joined the top ten. Both “Renfield” (Universal) and “The Pope’s Exorcist” (Sony) were released after three weekends in theaters, both at $19.99. That was normal for Universal, but atylical for Sony. Neither film opened to over $10 million, and both fell quickly, making the moves logical.
Of note — despite Nicolas Cage’s consistent popularity on home platforms, the Russell Crowe-starring “Exorcist” performed better across the board on PVOD than “Renfield.” That might change when the price is lowered in a few weeks. His “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” had a much more sustained run as a lower-priced VOD film.
“Beautiful Disaster” (Voltage), an American-set but filmed in Bulgaria college romantic drama, also debuted this week on all three charts at $6.99. This comes after it played two weeknights last month as a Fathom event. The home viewing response suggests that kind of play elevated interest.
Long-time playing “Avatar: The Way of Water” (reduced to $12.99) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” ($19.99), both Disney, plus “Creed III” (MGM) completed the unusually high number (seven) of films to place across the board. A curious newcomer was Apple’s “The Tomorrow Man” from 2019. Likely pushed because of Chris Pratt’s presence in last week’s new theatrical release “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” the unusual VOD play for an old made-for-streaming title showed up on iTunes chart (which, of course, is an Apple brand).
It is sometimes said that a lot of people assume all movies are on Netflix. That’s never been true, and less so since four studios have set up the own streamers. But confusion is understandable when nine of the ten titles with the most views come from apart from Sony (“Otto”), also Universal (“Pitch Perfect,” “American Gangster,” “The Dilemma,””The Wedding Date,” and holding the rights to “The Croods” now), Paramount (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”), Warner Bros. Discovery (“Heat”), and Lionsgate (“The Glass Castle”). That’s all but Disney. “Pitch Perfect” took first place before “Otto” took over.
Some of these come from long term deals, but it’s beginning to look like some studios are happy to take Netflix’s cash for at least short-term streaming exclusivity rather than include them for their own subscribers. In any event, only one Netflix original — last week’s #1 French crime thriller “AKA” — is currently on the chart.
iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions. These are the listings for Monday, May 1. Distributors listed are current rights owners. Prices for all titles are for rental.
iTunes
1. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) – $19.99
2. Avatar: The Way of Water (Disney) – $12.99
3. The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony) – $19.99
4. Renfield (Universal) – $19.99
5. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney) – $19.99
6. The Tomorrow War (Apple/$3.99
7. A Beautiful Disaster (Voltage) – $6.99
8. Plane (Lionsgate) – $5.99
9. Creed III (MGM) – $19.99
10. Mafia Momma (Bleecker Street) – $19.99
Google Play
1. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) – $19.99
2. Avatar: The Way of Water (Disney) – $12.99
3. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney) – $19.99
4. The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony) – $19.99
5. Renfield (Universal) – $19.99
6. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (WBD) – $19.99
7. 65 (Sony) – $19.99
8. Creed III (MGM) – $19.99
9. Beautiful Disaster (Voltage) – $6.99
10. A Man Called Otto (Sony) – $5.99
Vudu
Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, elevating Premium VOD titles. This list covers May 1-7.
1. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) – $19.99
2. The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony) – $19.99
3. Renfield (Universal) – $19.99
4. Avatar: The Way of Water (Disney) – $12.99
5. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney) – $19.99
6. 65 (Sony) – $19.99
7. Scream VI (Paramount) – $19.99
8. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (WBD) – $19.99
9. Creed III (MGM) – $19.99
10. Beautiful Disaster (Voltage) – $6.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking on Netflix’s daily chart on Monday, May 8. 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. A Man Called Otto (2022 theatrical release)
2. The Croods (2013 theatrical release)
3. Pitch Perfect (2012 theatrical release)
4. G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013 theatrical release)
5. AKA (Netflix French original)
6. Heat (1995 theatrical release)
7. American Gangster (2007 theatrical release)
8. Dilemma (2011 theatrical release)
9. The Wedding Date (2005 theatrical release)
10. The Glass Castle (2017 theatrical release)
