Disney reduced the price to $5.99 last weekend and it bested “Old” (Universal/$5.99), which also dropped its price from $19.99. M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller placed #2 on two charts, #4 at Vudu (which charts by revenue; it was second to “Free Guy” there among non-PVOD titles). Two of the year’s most acclaimed international releases — Julia Ducournau’s Cannes winner “Titane” (Neon/$6.99) and Mia Hansen-Love’s “Bergman Island” (IFC/$6.99) — debuted this week but didn’t come close to the top 10 on any chart. “Titane” spent three weeks in 562 theaters for a $1.4 million gross. “Bergman” debuted to under $100,000 in 115 theaters.
The edgy and French-language “Titane” is one of the most talked-about specialized titles of the year and received national exposure in its wider release. “Bergman Island,” which stars Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps, has better-known actors and is mostly in English (a clear advantage for home rentals). Despite their early home appearance, each debuted at $6.99, not $19.99 — the standard for titles recently in theaters titles. IFC releases its titles at home early and often, but the early debut is a less familiar strategy for Neon. Focus and A24 prefer three-weekend windows. but titles like “The Card Counter” and “The Green Knight” went for $19.99 initially. Other distributors expressed surprise at IFC’s and Neon’s decisions to skip the more lucrative Premium VOD route (receiving 80 percent of $19.99 after carrier share) for VOD (70 percent of the same from $6.99). “Titane” got as high as #19 during the week at AppleTV/iTunes; it’s #35 today. GooglePlay now has it at #33. “Bergman” is #48 at Apple TV/iTunes, and it’s not on the top 100 at GooglePlay. (Released on Friday, that chart usually is slower to show initial results.) Fox/Disney Would the films have gotten one third of the viewers at the higher price? Both films pursued the impulse buyer, which is far more likely at a lower price. Small indie films can thrive on these platforms: The Western “Old Henry” (Shout/$6.99) had a tiny theater footprint ($30,000 in one week in 30 theaters). Now in its second week at home, it remains #4 at AppleTV/iTunes and managed #8 at Vudu despite its lower price.
It’s possible these results suggest that giving films like “Titane” and “Bergman” a slower build might be best. That said, neither film represents a huge financial investment and without knowing actual revenues, we can’t be certain that these choices were incorrect. Apart from “Free Guy” and “Old,” only “The Addams Family 2” (United Artists/$19.99) hit all three charts. Two newcomers — “After We Fell” (Vertical/$19.99) and “Injustice” (Warner Bros./$19.99) — placed on two. YA romance “Fell” grossed $2.1 million in domestic theaters. “Injustice” is a $20 million budgeted animated original that is neither in theaters — nor yet on HBO Max. Netflix The Netflix original of the week is “Night Teeth,” an LA-set vampire-themed thriller involving a college student who agrees to chauffeur two partying young women for the night. It is #1. A second new original, Polish thriller “In for Murder,” is #10. Among their theatrical titles, “Going in Style” (a 2017 remake of the 1979 classic led by Morgan Freeman) scored for a second week as the top viewed title. Apple TV/iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions, irrespective of revenue accrued. These are the listings for October 25. Distributors listed are current rights owners. Apple TV/iTunes
- Free Guy (Disney) – $5.99
- Old (Universal) – $5.99
- The Protege (Lionsgate) – $5.99
- Old Henry (Shout) – $6.99
- After We Fell (Vertical) – $19.99
- The Addams Family 2 (United Artists) – $19.99
- The Night House (Searchlight) – $5.99
- F9 (Universal) – $5.99
- Beetlejuice (Warner Bros.) – $3.99
- Halloween (2018) (Universal) – $3.99
Google Play
- Free Guy (Disney) – $5.99
- Old (Universal) – $5.99
- F9 (Universal) – $5.99
- Venom (Paramount) – $3.99
- Injustice (Warner Bros.) – $19.99
- The Addams Family 2 (United Artists) – $19.99
- Halloween (2018) – $3.99
- Black Widow (Disney) – $5.99
- Snake Eyes (Paramount) – $4.99
- Scream (Disney) – $2.99
Vudu
Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, which elevates Premium VOD titles. This list covers October 18-24
- Free Guy (Disney) – $5.99
- The Addams Family 2 (United Artists) – $19.99
- After We Fell (Vetical) – $19.99
- Old (Universal) – $19.99
- Injustice (Warner Bros.) – $19.99
- Jungle Cruise (Disney) – $19.99
- The Forever Purge (Universal) – $5.99
- Old Henry (Shout) – $6.99
- Respect (United Artists) – $19.99
- Copshop (Open Road) – $19.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking as of Monday, October 25; originals include both Netflix-produced and -acquired titles they initially presented in the U.S.
Night Teeth (2021 Netflix original)
Going in Style (2017 theatrical release)
The Forgotten Battle (2021 Netherlands Netflix original)
Scary Movie 4 (2006 theatrical release)
Reprisal (2018 theatrical release)
My Little Pony (2021 Netflix animated original)
Titanic (1997 theatrical release)
The Trip (2021 Netflix Norwegian original)
Stepbrothers (2008 theatrical original)
In for Murder (2021 Netflix original) Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
