Ongoing interest in Christopher Nolan’s film may seem ironic as it was the last major Warners release to see a traditional rollout. The studio reportedly recoups 70 percent of VOD rental; if there were 1 million rentals in a week, at the current price of $5.99, it would generate nearly $4.2 million. That would justify delaying a move to HBO Max. As a PVOD, Universal sees a more generous revenue share of 80 percent on “News of the World” rentals. For a $4 million return — a nice bounty for a film with a reported $38 million budget and a sale to Netflix for the rest of the world — it would need 250,000 rentals.
For another template for how these economics might work, there’s the record-setting sale of Sundance 2021. Apple paid a reported $25 million for first-night film “CODA,” which suggests that heavy spending is a reasonable risk for streamers that have the cash to do it. “Tenet” was one of two titles to make all four lists. “Promising Young Woman,” which remains a $19.99 premium buy, was the second. Two more standout PVOD titles are “Greenland” and “The Croods: A New Age,” which placed second or third on three charts. The smart Gerald Butler disaster film saw a big leap this week that may relate to word-of-mouth on the well-received title. The other film to make three charts is Nate Parker’s “American Skin.” The director’s first film after “The Birth of a Nation” saw the best results of any non-PVOD original in January. Larry Horricks/Netflix Netflix’s chart has three new originals leading this week. “The Dig,” with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan, received the most attention, but it ranks #3. However, the current #1 is “Below Zero” a Spanish action entry about a lone driver of a prison transport fending off attackers amid a blizzard. Next is the fmaily feature “Finding ‘Ohana,” in which two kids from Brooklyn seek treasure and rediscover their Hawaiian roots. Apple TV Ranked by number of transactions, with position as of Monday, February 1
- Tenet (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
- Greenland (STX) – $19.99
- The Big Short (Paramount) – $3.99
- Synchronic (Well Go) – $3.99
- News of the World (Universal) – $19.99
- The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount) – $3.99
- Exodus: Gods and Kings (Disney) – $3.99
- The War with Grandpa (101) – $5.99
- Promising Young Woman (Focus) – $19.99
- Honest Thief (Briarcliff) – $5.99
FandangoNOW
Ranked by revenue accrued not transactions, for January 25-31
- News of the World (Universal) – $19.99
- Greenland (STX) – $19.99
- The Croods: A New Age (Universal) – $19.99
- Promising Young Woman (Universal) – $19.99
- Freaky (Universal) – $14.99
- Our Friend (Gravitas Ventures) – $19.99
- Fatale (Lionsgate) – $19.99
- Let Him Go (Focus) – $14.99
- American Skin (Vertical) – $6.99
- Tenet (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
Google Play
Ranked by number of transactions, with the daily position as of Monday, February 1
- Tenet (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
- The Croods: A New Age (Universal) – $19.99
- Greenland (STX) – $19.99
- The War with Grandpa (101) – $5.99
- Honest Thief (Briarcliff) – $5.99
- Love and Monsters (Paramount) – $4.99
- American Skin (Vertical) – $6.99
- The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount) – $3.99
- Born a Champion (Lionsgate) – $5.99
- Promising Young Woman (Focus) – $19.99
Spectrum
Ranked by transactions between January 22-28, all priced $6.99 except where noted
- News of the World (Universal) – $19.99
- Honest Thief (Open Road)
- The Croods: A New Age (Universal) – $19.99
- Tenet (Warner Bros.)
- American Skin (Vertical)
- Redemption Day (Paramount)
- The War with Grandpa (101)
- Our Friend (Gravitas Ventures) – $19.99
- Fatale (Lionsgate) – $19.99
- Promising Young Woman (Focus) – $19.99
Netflix Movies
Most-viewed, current ranking as of Monday, February 1; originals include both Netflix-produced and -acquired titles
- Below Zero (2021 Spanish Netflix original)
- Finding ‘Ohana (2021 Netflix original)
- The Dig (2021 Netflix original)
- The Next Three Days (2010 theatrical release)
- The Vanished (2020 Video on Demand release)
- Homefront (2013 theatrical release)
- Penguin Bloom (2021 Netflix original)
- We Can Be Heroes (2020 Netflix original)
- Outside the Wire (2021 Netflix original)
- Penguins of Madagascar (2014 theatrical release) Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
