Warner Bros. Fights with Itself as ‘Blue Beetle’ Vies with ‘Barbie’ in PVOD Battle for #1
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.), the year’s biggest hit, had some competition its third week out on PVOD (for rent at $24.99), and it’s coming from within its own house.
“Blue Beetle,” from Warners’ DC Comics division, actually took #1 at Vudu — even more impressive since it ranks by revenue, putting the $19.99 “Beetle” at a disadvantage. It placed #3 at Google Play, which often is slower to note new releases. “Barbie” remains #1 at iTunes and Google Play.
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Three other new titles debuted this week, led by “Gran Turismo” (Sony), as high as #2 at Vudu. Also at $19.99, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” (Focus) also placed on two charts. It’s #4 at Vudu after its third weekend in theaters.
“Muzzle” (RLJ), a direct-to-home release landed at #6 at iTunes at a $6.99 rental. Taking the “John Wick” plot about a man seeking revenge after his dog is killed, this stars Stephen Lang and Aaron Eckhardt.
“Barbie,” “Beetle,” and “Turismo” by “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (Paramount) and “Talk to Me” (A24), both still $19.99, and “No Hard Feelings” (Sony) at $5.99 on all three charts.
Netflix had a nearly complete turnover this week, with only last week’s #2 original “Spy Kids Armageddon” held over, now at #8. Two new originals led their list, with “Reptile” with Benicio Del Toro (who co-wrote) and Justin Timberlake starring in a New England crime drama at #1. It premiered last month as a Special Presentation at Toronto.
#2 is “Nowhere,” a Spanish drama about a refuge at sea in a container who gives birth while trapped. (This is not to be confused with Greg Araki’s “Nowhere,” reissued this weekend initially in New York to a strong gross.) Other new Netflix films on the list are also international. #5 is the Australian romance “Love Is in the Air” with “Forgotten Love” from Poland (an alcoholic professor, estranged from his wife and children, becomes amnesiac).
Leading non-originals is “Identity Thief” with Melissa McCarthy at #3 and the Covid-period direct-to-home “Force of Nature” with Mel Gibson at #4.
iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions. These are the listings for Monday, October 2. Distributors listed are current rights owners. Prices for all titles are for lowest for either rental or download.
iTunes
1. Barbie (WB) – $24.99
2. Blue Beetle (WB) – $19.99
3. Gran Turismo (Sony) – $19.99
4. No Hard Feelings (Sony) – $5.99
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) – $19.99
6. Muzzle (RLJ) – $6.99
7. Talk to Me (A24) – $19.99
8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony) – $5.99
9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (Focus) – $19.99
10. Insidious: The Red Door (Sony) – $5.99
Google Play
1. Barbie (WB) – $24.99
2. No Hard Feelings (Sony) – $5.99
3. Blue Beetle (WB) – $19.99
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony) – $5.99
5. Gran Turismo (Sony) – $19.99
6. Meg 2: The Trench (WB) – $19.99
7. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) – $5.99
8. Talk to Me (A24) – $19.99
9. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) – $19.99
10. Insidious: The Red Door (Sony) – $5.99
Vudu
Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, elevating premium VOD titles. This list covers September 25-October 1.
1. Blue Beetle (WB) – $19.99
2. Gran Turismo (Sony) – $19.99
3. Barbie (WB) – $24.99
4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (Focus) – $19.99
5. Talk to Me (A24) – $19.99
6. Strays (Universal) – $19.99
7. Meg 2: The Trench (WB) – $19.99
8. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) – $19.99
9. No Hard Feelings (Sony) – $5.99
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount) – $19.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking on Netflix’s daily chart on Monday, October 2. 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. Reptile (Netflix original)
2. Nowhere (Spanish Netflix original)
3. Identity Thief (2013 theatrical release)
4. Force of Nature (2020 theatrical release)
5. Love Is in the Air (Australian Netflix original)
6. Pompeii (2014 theatrical release)
7. Last Vegas (2013 theatrical release)
8. Spy Kids Armageddon (Netflix original)
9. Forgotten Love (Polish Netflix original)
10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014 theatrical release)
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