‘Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard’ Was Middling at the Box Office but It’s #1 on VOD
In a week that saw three theatrical releases debut on Premium VOD, “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” (Lionsgate/$19.99) won the battle. The ensemble action comedy sequel took first place on all four charts we follow, despite competition from “The Forever Purge” (Universal/$19.99) and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (Warner Bros./$19.99).
Meanwhile, “Black Widow” (Disney/$29.99) announced an all-digital platform release (meaning, beyond Disney+) for August 10. The unusual aspect is it will be offered as a digital download rather than a rental, with extras including additional scenes and bloopers.
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More significantly, “Hitman’s” displaced “A Quiet Place Part II” (Paramount/$19.99) after just one week as top film. That’s a bit of a surprise; John Krasinski’s hit grossed as much as “Purge,” Conjuring,” and “Hitman’s” combined, and “Hitman’s” grossed the least with $37 million.
That also may mean that the “Hitman’s” audience wasn’t as thoroughly tapped. The audience demo of the original 2017 film was more female and older — a group that’s lagging in return to theaters. Horror genre films like “Purge” and “Conjuring” rely on younger male viewers who are less likely to be wary of buying tickets.
Photo Credit: Jonny Cournoyer
As for “Quiet Place,” it faced unusually strong competition from newer releases. It’s possible those who had waited to see it at home purchased it immediately. It came out 45 days after playing very well in theaters, potentially leaving less for PVOD. It’s also on Paramount Plus free for subscribers.
“Quiet,” “Hitman’s,” and “Purge” placed on all four charts. “Conjuring” missed out on iTunes (which ranks by transactions, not money spent; it was #10 on similarly counted Google Play), and otherwise lagged behind the other three titles. “Wrath of Man” (United Artists/$5.99), now at reduced price, follows in the steps of “Nobody” (Universal/$5.99, still on three charts) as a male-led thriller.
Speaking of Bruce Willis: For the second straight week, “Midnight at the Switchgrass” (Lionsgate/$5.99), a murder investigation top-billed by Megan Fox, charted on both FandangoNow and and iTunes (#3). Last week, his “Out of Death” (Vertical/$6.99) hit the charts. Doesn’t Disney now own the rights to “Die Hard”? Figure someone is looking into this.
Two other new Premium titles found appeal this week to much different audiences. “Resurgence,” an Apple documentary about a CrossFit championship, (Apple/$14.99), appeared only at the company’s iTunes site ahead of presumed showings on Apple TV for subscribers. It ranked as high as #1 on iTunes, now at #8.
Sony
“Here Today” (Sony/$14.99), the first film Billy Crystal directed film in 20 years, is #9 at FandangoNow. Its appeal is older and female.
Netflix remains in thrall of its recent “Twilight” series additions. At one point last week, all five titles ranked #1-#5 and they remain in the top seven. The company’s strong slate of summer originals came back, with four fresh titles placing well along with initially #1 “Gunpowder Milkshake” still charting.
Top among these is “Blood Red Sky,” a mostly German production with an unfamiliar cast in which a transatlantic hijacking finds a young woman passenger as key in thwarting the plot. Shailene Woodley stars in the #2 British romance, “The Last Letter from Your Lover.”
South Korea provides “Kingdom: Ashin of the North,” a full-length offshoot of the fantasy TV series, at #9. Closer to home, animation returns with “Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans,” part of Netflix’s DreamWorks deal. The Guillermo del Toro produced and co-written film is a U.S./Mexico co-production.
iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions, irrespective of revenue accrued. These are the listings for Monday, July 26.
iTunes
1. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Lionsgate) – $19.99
2. Wrath of Man (United Artists) – $5.99
3. Midnight in the Switchgrass (Lionsgate) – $5.99
4. The Vault (Saban) – $0.99
5. A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount) – $19.99
6. Nobody (Universal) – $5.99
7. The Forever Purge (Universal) – $19.99
8. Resurgence (Apple) – $14.99
9. Settlers (CIS) – $6.99
10. Alita: Battle Angel (Disney) – $3.99
Google Play
1. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Lionsgate) – $19.99
2. Wrath of Man (United Artists) – $5.99
3. Nobody (Universal) – $5.99
4. A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount) – $19.99
5. Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
6. The Forever Purge (Universal) – $19.99
7. A Quiet Place (Paramount) – $2.99
8. Spiral (Lionsgate) – $5.99
9. Werewolves Within (IFC) – $6.99
10. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (Warner Bros.) – $19.99
FandangoNow and Vudu rank by revenue earned, not transactions, which elevates Premium VOD titles. These listings cover July 12 – 18.
FandangoNOW
1. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Lionsgate) – $19.99
2. The Forever Purge (Universal) – $19.99
3. A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount) – $19.99
4. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (Warner Bros.) – $19.99
5. Wrath of Man (United Artists) – $5.99
6. Cruella (Disney) – $29.99
7. Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros.) – $19.99
8. Out of Death (Vertical) – $6.99
9. Here Today (Sony) – $14.99
10. Midnight in the Switchgrass (Lionsgate) – $5.99
Vudu
1. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Lionsgate) – $19.99
2. The Forever Purge (Universal) – $19.99
3. A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount) – $19.99
4. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (Warner Bros.) – $19.99
5. The Wrath of Man (United Artists) – $5.99
6. Nobody (Universal) – $5.99
7. Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros.) – $19.99
8. Spiral (Lionsgate) – $19.99
9. Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
10. Cruella (Disney) – $29.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking as of Monday, July 26; originals include both Netflix-produced and Netflix-acquired titles.
1. Blood Red Sky (2021 Netflix original)
2. The Last Letter from Your Lover (2021 Netflix original)
3. Twilight (2008 theatrical release)
4. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012 theatrical release)
5. Twilight: New Moon (2009 theatrical release)
6. Twilight: Eclipse (2010 theatrical release)
7. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011 theatrical release)
8. Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021 Netflix original)
9. Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (2021 Netflix original)
10. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021 Netflix original)
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