Universal Continues VOD Reign with Upcoming ‘The King of Staten Island’

Tom Brueggemann
·6 min read

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There’s 40 days and counting until the still-tentative opening of “Tenet” — and with it, the hopes for a successful reopening of theaters worldwide. Meanwhile, over the next two weeks, we’ll see the streaming debuts of three films that would have had a theatrical presence under normal circumstances. Netflix will debut the Spike Lee drama about black Vietnam veterans, “Da 5 Bloods,” on June 12; the same day will see Judd Apatow’s “The King of Staten Island,” which will be available from Universal as a $19.99 rental. Universal also just announced that Blumhouse’s horror mystery “You Should Have Left” with Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried will debut on VOD June 19.

At this point, it seems fair to declare Universal the king of VOD. “Trolls World Tour” and “The Invisible Man,” along with specialized unit Focus’ “The High Note,” “Harriet,” and “Emma” all scored high in VOD rankings. “Trolls” returned to #1 at Amazon Prime, “The Invisible Man” tops both iTunes and Spectrum. “The High Note” (in its second week as a premium offering) is #2 at Spectrum, third at FandangoNow. “Harriet” is currently second at iTunes, with “Emma” #6 there. (Warner’s “Scoob!” is #1 at FandangoNow, which ranks by rental amount, not transactions.)

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Much of their strong showing comes from adept pricing shifts. “Trolls,” which nears its fourth month in play, reduced its cost to $14.99. “The Invisible Man,” which had a strong showing as a premium, is now at $5.99. “Emma” reduced to $3.99. “Harriet” at $5.99 looks to be among the top choices among a wide audience wanting to learn about racial injustice.

VOD reporting remains spotty at best; only the new VOD “Becky” (Quiver) and IFC are reporting. At this moment, theatrical reporting isn’t much better since top-flight theaters are still closed. Sources place the overall gross around $4 million, but since most open theaters are drive ins that play double features, the actual gross is likely closer to $2.5 million. (A moment of self laceration: This weekend saw $165 million in 2019.)

This week, “Becky” picked up on IFC’s lead in playing on drive-in double bills, with the Kevin James-starring thriller about escaped neo-Nazi criminals threatening a family at its lake house grossing an estimated $178,000. That would make it for now #4 overall, behind “Trolls” and “Invisible Man” as well as “Sonic the Hedgehog.”

Paramount had a very low-profile release in “Mighty Oak.” From director Sean McNamara, best known for the break-out faith-based success “Soul Surfer,” it limped into mostly drive-ins with a reported gross a tiny fraction of “Becky.” This remains something of a mystery (it had no VOD component), and was acquired only in late May.

 

Top-charting titles continue to be eclectic. British crime drama “Villain” (Saban) is #7 at iTunes, with obscure Russian dystopian thriller “The Blackout: Invasion Earth” at #8. On Spectrum, Paramount’s made-for-VOD “Body Cam” with Mary J. Blige is #8 while Bruce Willis in “Survive the Night” (Lionsgate) is at #10.

Netflix was on overdrive this week. Their movie chart is led by French director Olivier Megaton’s critically derided, South African-shot “The Last Days of American Crime,” released Friday. More surprising is the showing for “365 Days,” another original, shot in Poland (though set in Sicily); it’s an erotic drama about a member of the Sicilian Mafia who kidnaps a woman and gives her a year to fall in love with him. It is currently #2.

Much attention was paid during last week when the 2011 smash “The Help” had a brief run at #1, after it became available on Netflix June 2. New-to-Netflix titles usually soar at first, and this was no exception. It already has fallen to #4. Ava Duvernay’s acclaimed documentary “The 13th” did reach #9 on Sunday, and could return as it is mentioned on many lists as a film to seek out.

Amazon Prime

Ranked by number of transactions, with the daily position as of Monday, June 8

1. Trolls World Tour (Universal) – $14.99

2. Scoob! (Warner Bros.) – $19.99/$24.99 to buy

3. Bloodshot (Sony) – $5.99

4. The Greatest Showman (Disney) – $3.99

5. Knives Out (Lionsgate) – $2.99

6. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount) – $4.99

7. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) – $5.99

8. Bad Boys for Life (Sony) – $5.99

9. The Gentlemen (STX) – $5.99

10. Game Night (Warner Bros.) – $3.99

FandangoNOW

Ranked by revenue accrued not transactions, for the week ending Monday, June 8

1. Scoob! (Warner Bros.) – $19.99/$24.99 to buy

2. The Invisible Man (Universal) – $5.99

3. The High Note (Focus) – $19.99

4. Trolls World Tour (Universal) – $19.99

5. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount) – $4.99

6. Bad Boys for Life (Sony) – $4.99

7. The Hunt (Universal) – $5.99

8. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) – $4.99

9. Bloodshot (Paramount) – $4.99

10. Fantasy Island (Sony) – $4.99

Spectrum

Ranked by transactions for May 29 – June 4; all $6.99 except as noted

1. The Invisible Man (Universal)

2. The High Note (Focus) – $19.99

3. Scoob! (Warner Bros.) – $19.99

4. Just Mercy (Warner Bros.) – free

5. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount)

6. Bad Boys for Life (Sony)

7. Trolls World Tour (Universal) – $14.99

8. Body Cam (Paramount)

9. Fantasy Island (Sony)

10. Survive the Night (Lionsgate)

iTunes

Ranked by number of transactions, with the daily position as of Monday, June 8; excludes premium VOD rental-only titles

1. The Invisible Man (Universal) – $5.99

2. Harriet (Focus) – $5.99

3. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount) – $5.99

4. Scoob! (Warner Bros.) – $19.99, $24.99 to buy

5. The Gentlemen (STX) – $5.99

6. Emma (Focus) – $3.99

7. The Villain (Saban) – $6.99

8. Bombshell (Lionsgate) – $2.99

9. The Blackout: Invasion Earth (Shout!) – $4.99

10. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) – $5.99

Netflix Movies

Most-viewed, current ranking as of Monday, June 8

1. The Last Days of American Crime (2020 Netflix original)

2. 365 Days (2020 Polish Netflix original)

3. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009 theatrical release)

4. The Help (2009 theatrical release)

5. The Healer (2018 theatrical release)

6. Clueless (1995 theatrical release)

7. Uncut Gems (2019 theatrical release)

8. Twister (1996 theatrical release)

9. The Night Clerk (2020 theatrical/VOD release)

10. The Wrong Missy (Netflix original)

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