‘Wrath of Man,’ ‘Nobody’ Lead VOD Box Office, ‘Queen Bees’ Clicks on Premium
Tom Brueggemann
On the surface, it might appear that little changed with home viewing this weekend. At least as far as can be told with “In the Heights” (Warner Bros.) on HBO Max. Even with theaters of great interest, unlike its disappointing gross, results at home remain a mystery.
But a second glance reveals a few nuggets of note. A handful of new releases arrived, including “Queen Bees” (Gravitas Ventures) on Premium VOD, which also placed in the theatrical box-office top 10.
Meanwhile, some positions suggest how different pricing strategies may have an impact on results, including possible consumer resistance to prices higher than normal. That might be the case with “Mortal Kombat” (Warner Bros.).
“Wrath of Man” (United Artists/$19.99) edged out “Nobody” (Universal/$19.99) as the top performer. Both had two #1 placements across the charts. But “Wrath” did slightly better, taking two #2 positions, while “Nobody” was #3 on two charts. (See the rankings below.)
This was the third week out for “Wrath,” with a strong performance each time. “Nobody” has been out for two months, and led charts for its first four weeks. But its resurgence now comes from a tweak in its release. Previously it had been rental-only (for 48 hours). Now, that same price buys the film digitally, with no time limit.
It’s another example of how studios, in this case Universal, are successfully monetizing their home releases. They get 80 percent of this (unknown) revenue. In both films’ cases, their initial theatrical releases, each with a three-weekend window, look to have elevated success.
“Mortal Kombat” follows “Godzilla vs. Kong” as not only given a post-HBO Max PVOD release, but also above the standard $19.99 price. “Godzilla” has worked well at $29.99, although never quite as elevated as titles released sooner and without earlier, free subscriber access.
“Mortal” goes for a $24.99 rental. Although it also placed on all four charts, its highest ranking was #4, with two as low as #8. This might suggest that for all but some top titles, $19.99 is the acceptable price. And the film, with its younger-skewing appeal, might have had a wider viewing initially on HBO Max, cutting into interest.
“Godzilla” remains strong, coming in #4 at both revenue-charting sites, and #5 at Google Play. The other two to place on three charts are “The Marksman” (Open Road/$5.99) and “Spiral” (Lionsgate/$19.99).
“Queen Bees” stars Ellen Burstyn as a recent arrival at a seniors’ community resembling the climate of “Mean Girls.” It opened in 500 theaters this weekend, and managed to place ninth even while only grossing $328,000. Still, it got enough attention to click. Most immediate VOD releases, other than Disney’s efforts, tend to start at $6.99 or close. But this went the more lucrative PVOD route, which took the film to #5 at FandangoNow.
Two other new releases stuck with a $6.99 price point. “Rogue Hostage” (Vertical), with Tyrese Gibson as an ex-Marine fighting bad guys who siege his stepfather’s store, took #5 at Apple TV/iTunes, and #6 at FandangoNow. The latter ranks the film as the top non-PVOD title, which suggests strong interest.
“Occupation: Rainfall” (Saban), an Australian alien attack invasion story which played theaters Down Under last January, is the other fresh blood, taking #8 at Apple TV/iTunes. Not as fresh, but showing up anew, is “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (Lionsgate/$3.99) ahead of its sequel’s release this week. It took #3 at Apple TV/iTunes.
“Dream Horse” (Bleecker Street/$19.99), fresh off its three-weekend window at theaters (with a gross so far at $2.6 million) also debuted this week. It’s currently at #7 at FandangoNow
The animation domination at Netflix continues unabated. “Wish Dragon,” another Sony-produced title acquired by Netflix, shot straight to the top spot right away. It’s a Chinese co-production (with a modest release in theaters there early this year), with Jackie Chan aboard as a producer. “Wish Dragon” is one of four animated films among Netflix’s top 10.
Of note is the appearance of “Skater Girl,” a female-directed Indian production that received little advance attention. Whatever else Netflix is doing, the streamer is enabling local independent production with often more diverse creative involvement than the rest of the nation’s industries sometimes provide. “Skater Girl” currently sits at #9 on the platform. That’s ahead of “Army of the Dead,” which likely got heavy initial interest, but is not holding as strong as “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” released weeks earlier and still at #8.
Apple TV/iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions, irrespective of revenue accrued. These are the listings for Monday, June 14.
Apple TV/iTunes
1. Nobody (Universal) – $19.99
2. Wrath of Man (United Artists) – $19.99
3. The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Lionsgate) – $3.99
4. Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros.) – $24.99
5. Rogue Hostage (Vertical) – $6.99
6. The Dry (IFC) – $6.99
7. The Marksman (Open Road) – $19.99
8. Occupation: Rainfall (Saban) – $6.99
9. Tom & Jerry (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
10. The Guardian (Disney) – $3.99
Google Play
1. Wrath of Man (United Artists) – $19.99
2. A Quiet Place (Paramount) – $2.99
3. Nobody (Universal) – $19.99
4. The Marksman (Open Road) – $5.99
5. Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros.) – $29.99
6. Spiral: From the Book of Saw (Lionsgate) – $19.99
7. Tom & Jerry (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
8. Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros.) – $24.99
9. Four Good Days (Vertical) – $6.99
10. Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney) – $19.99
FandangoNow and Vudu rank by revenue earned, not transactions, which elevates Premium VOD titles. These listings cover June 7-13.
FandangoNOW
1. Wrath of Man (United Artists) – $19.99
2. Spiral: From the Book of Saw (Lionsgate) – $19.99
3. Nobody (Universal) – $19.99
4. Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros.) – $29.99
5. Queen Bees (Gravitas Ventures) – $19.99
6. Rogue Hostage (Vertical) – $6.99
7. Dream Horse (Bleecker Street) – $19.99
8. Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros.) – $24.99
9. Profile (Focus) – $19.99
10. The Unholy (Sony) – $19.99
Vudu
1. Nobody (Universal) – $19.99
2. Wrath of Man (United Artists) – $19.99
3. Spiral: From the Book of Saw (Lionsgate) – $19.99
4. Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros.) – $29.99
5. Tom & Jerry (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
6. Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros.) – $24.99
7. The Sandlot (Disney) – $3.99
8. Voyagers (Lionsgate) – $14.99
9. The Marksman (Open Road) – $5.99
10. Four Good Days (Vertical) – $6.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking as of Monday, June 14; originals include both Netflix-produced and Netflix-acquired titles.
1. Wish Dragon (2021 Netflix Chinese animated original)
2. Awake (2021 Netflix original)
3. A Haunted House 3 (2014 theatrical release)
4. Home (2015 animated theatrical release)
5. 2 Hearts (2020 theatrical release)
6. Dog Gone Trouble (2021 Netflix animated original)
7. The Devil Below (2021 theatrical/VOD release)
8. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021 Netflix animated original)
9. Skater Girl (2021 Netflix Indian original)
10. Army of the Dead (2021 Netflix original)
