Swift and Scorsese Battle for #1 on PVOD
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“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” (TAS Rights Management), with three added songs, came out for rent (at $19.89) on the singer’s birthday (an unusual Wednesday release for PVOD). It scored well, with two #1s (both Google Play and Vudu), as well as iTunes initially. But in a surprise, “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Paramount for Apple) is back atop iTunes, while holding on well elsewhere.
Both #1s are noteworthy, as well as another factor: An unexpected decision from Universal. Normally, even as a decent performer (it has grossed $88 million), “Trolls Band Together” would have come to PVOD after three weeks in theaters. But it’s actually only available on December 19, after its fifth weekend in theaters. That took it away from competition until close to Christmas.
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Curiously, “Eras” at this point is not for download, with no word on whether that will be added for last-minute gift giving. It’s possible that some of her shrewd fans, who have already seen the film, are waiting for the inevitable chance to have a permanent cyber copy.
The ongoing success of “Killers” (a unanimous #1 last week) — apart from iTunes, it’s #2 at Vudu and #3 at Google Play — solidifies Apple’s decision to delay streaming Martin Scorsese’s film (and keep it top of mind in time for the voting next month for the Oscar nominations). They are reaping an uncertain but likely strong revenue gain to help pay off the $200 million+ investment (it has grossed $156 million worldwide, with both theaters and contracted distributor Paramount likely retaining a majority of that).
“Priscilla” (A24) also debuted this week, seven weeks after its initial platform release in theaters. Sofia Coppola’s film is #6 at iTunes, #8 at Vudu (and, as usual, Google Play is lagging with the Friday release for this). That’s out the same initial positions held by Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” (Focus), which came out three weeks ago and has hovered lower since (it is currently #14 at iTunes). These lower-cost films come out well at this level of rental, per distributors. The key is more to stick around for a few weeks rather than just have one good initial week.
James Cameron entered Vudu’s chart (which ranks by revenue) with the $19.99 download price — unusual for older films — for the remastered “The Abyss” and “True Lies” (both 20th Century-Fox films now handled by Disney). They took the #6 and #7 slots respectively there.
“The Creator” (Disney), now renting for $5.99, is making a continued strong showing. It placed as high as #3 at iTunes despite its lower price, and otherwise made all the lists. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the best holiday showing among several titles, also made three. “Oppenheimer” rounded out the titles appearing everywhere: #2 at Google Play, fifth elsewhere. (Its summer partner in glory “Barbie” debuted on Max on Friday, which meant it left two lists after three months).
“Leave the World Behind,” Netflix’s adaptation of the acclaimed catastrophe-impact novel with Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke, continues for its second week as #1 on their movie top 10. #2 again is “The Super Mario Bros.” Both must be doing quite well since “Gran Turismo,” the latest recent Sony release to stream there, has so far not gotten higher than #3.
Netflix’s originals that manage to lead for more than a week rarely come from those titles they consider their high-quality, awards-consideration efforts. “Leave,” with modest reviews from its limited theatrical play, has been far more popular than their acclaimed “May December” (a brief four-day placement, no higher than #5). Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” comes aboard December 22 (after a rare 30 day theatrical run), results to be determined.
Two other originals also charted. Their independently produced acquisition “Holiday in the VIneyards” is #4, while Aardman Animations’ “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” is #6. (Netflix acquired the sequel for the world except China). Previous #1 “Family Switch” and “Leo” remain in the top 10.
iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions. These are the listings for Monday, December 18. Distributors listed are current rights owners. Prices for all titles are for lowest for either rental or download.
iTunes
1. Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple) – $19.88
2. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (TAS Rights Management) – $19.99
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal) – $3.99
4. The Creator (Disney) – $5.99
5. Oppenheimer (Universal) – $19.99
6. Priscilla (A24) – $19.99
7. Holiday (Sony) – $3.99
8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Rankin/Bass) – $7.99
9. The Grinch (Universal) – $3.99
10. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One (Paramount) – $5.99
Google Play
1. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (TAS Rights Management) – $19.88
2. Oppenheimer (Universal) – $19.99
3. Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple) – $19.89
4. Barbie (WB) – $5.99
5. The Equalizer 3 (Sony) – $5.99
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal) – $5.99
7. The Creator (Disney) – $19.99
8. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One (Paramount) – $5.99
9. The Grinch (Universal) – $3.99
10. Die Hard (Disney) – $3.99
Vudu
Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, elevating premium VOD titles. This list covers December 11-17.
1. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (TAS Rights Management) – $19.89
2. Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple) – $19.99
3. The Creator (Disney) – $5.99
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal) – $3.99
5. Oppenheimer (Universal) – $19.99
6. The Abyss (Disney) – $19.99
7. True Lies (Disney) – $19.99
8. Priscilla (A24) – $19.99
9. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) – $5.99
10. Sound of Freedom (Angel) – $6.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking on Netflix’s daily chart on Monday, December 18. 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. Leave the World Behind (Netflix original)
2. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023 theatrical release)
3. Gran Torino (2023 theatrical release)
4. Holiday in the Vineyards (Netflix original)
5. Family Switch (Netflix original)
6. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Netflix animation original)
7. Neighbors (2014 theatrical release)
8. Love and Monsters (2020 theatrical release)
9. Leo (Netflix animated original)
10. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl (2005 theatrical release)
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