The potential for more awards attention could help its overall revenue in the coming weeks, but even in its first week on PVOD, Pablo Larrain’s portrait of a sliver of Princess Diana’s life enjoyed a strong initial showing. The film is already #4 on Apple TV/iTunes and #8 on Vudu, and #12 on the usually lagging Google Play list. Distributor Neon receives the same box office and VOD take on its films as the top studios, but with a vastly smaller investment. “Spencer” — which has grossed under $7 million — could prove very profitable.
Elsewhere, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (Sony/$19.99) began what will likely be a multiple-week run atop VOD charts. With no home platform release date set for “Eternals” (Disney), “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” — already 2021’s #2 box office winner for a film involving a Marvel character — has little immediate competition as top draw. Unlike “Spencer,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” had an eight-weekend theatrical window before getting a home release. It stands with “Free Guy” as a top-grossing title that not only delayed PVOD but also was available only in theaters when first released. This late-breaking PVOD strategy will continue to raise its revenues, as 80 percent of the PVOD price (less carrier charges) goes straight to Sony, even as the film closes in on a half billion in worldwide box office. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Beyond those two titles and their very different strategies, the rest of the VOD chart looks very familiar. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (Disney/$19.99) had the most interesting movement: In its second week, after placing #1 or #2 initially, it dropped steeply, with its current best showing at #5 at Google Play. It didn’t even place on all three charts. This drop is likely not a reflection on the hit title (the #1 domestic hit since 2019); rather, moviegoers caught on that Disney+ subscribers can now see the film for free. “No Time to Die” (United Artists/$19.99) and “Free Guy” (Disney/$5.99) shared second and third places on the three charts, continuing their strong showings. Also placing on each chart is the 2000 “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (Universal/$3.99), with the later “The Grinch” (Universal/$3.99) earning spots on two of them. Has the perennial “A Christmas Story” been replaced a seasonal favorite? Looks that way.
“Black Friday” (Screen Media/$6.99), sneaking in at #10 at Vudu, is the only other fresh entry. The VOD original release, a horror comedy about a toy store invaded by parasitical shoppers, stars Devon Sawa and long-time genre icon Bruce Campbell. “Bruised,” Halle Berry’s directorial debut, leads Netflix’s top 10, which currently features only one non-Netflix Original on the list. The film, about a mixed martial arts fighter (portrayed by Berry) making a comeback, premiered over a year ago at the Toronto International Film Festival. Number #2 is “A Castle for Christmas.” That Scottish-set romance stars Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes, and is also female-directed. At the helm is veteran Mary Lambert (“Pet Sematary”), who first gained attention decades ago through her acclaimed genre work. Netflix continues to intrigue with its content/creative matchups. Elsewhere at the streaming giant, Christmas content rules with six of the 10 titles on its top ten list related to the holiday. These include the also-new “A Boy Called Christmas” at #4. This one has Maggie Smith and Jim Broadbent in its cast, and is directed by Gil Kenan, who collaborated with Jason Reitman on the recent box office hit “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” Past Netflix originals rarely reappear to their top 10 charts, but the two “Christmas Chronicles” films (the latter directed by Chris Columbus) are listed this week. The sole non-Netflix Original title in the bunch: Nancy Meyers’ 2006 rom-com “The Holiday,” another holiday-centric entry. Apple TV/iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions, irrespective of revenue accrued. These are the listings for November 29. Distributors listed are current rights owners.
Apple TV/iTunes
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Sony) – $19.99
- No Time to Die (United Artists) – $19.99
- Free Guy (Disney) – $5.99
- Spencer (Neon) – $19.99
- The Grinch (Universal) – $3.99
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal) – $3.99
- Old Henry (Shout) – $5.99
- Elf (Warner Bros.) – $3.99
- Jungle Cruise (Disney) – $5.99
- The Green Knight (A24) – $4.99
Google Play
- Venom: Let There Will Be Carnage (Sony) – $19.99
- Free Guy (Disney) – $5.99
- No Time to Die (United Artists) – $19.99
- The Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Disney) – $19.99
- F9 (Universal) – $5.99
- Old (Universal) – $5.99
- The Grinch (Universal) – $3.99
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal) – $3.99
- Jungle Cruise (Disney) – $5.99
Vudu
Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, which elevates Premium VOD titles. This list covers November 22-28
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Sony) – $19.99
No Time to Die (United Artists) – $19.99
Free Guy (Disney) – $5.99
The Addams Family 2 (United Artists) – $19.99
The Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
Jungle Cruise (Disney) – $12.99
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal) – $3.99
Spencer (Neon) – $19.99
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Disney) – $19.99
Black Friday (Screen Media) – $6.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking as of Monday, November 29; originals include both Netflix-produced and -acquired titles they initially presented in the U.S.
- Bruised (2021 Netflix original)
- A Castle for Christmas (2021 Netflix original)
- Red Notice (2021 Netflix original)
- A Boy Called Christmas (2021 Netflix original)
- The Holiday (2006 theatrical original)
- Christmas Chronicles (2018 Netflix original)
- Extinct (2021 animated Netflix original)
- Love Hard (2021 Netflix original)
- Christmas Chronicle 2 (2020 Netflix original)
- The Harder They Fall (2021 Netflix original) Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
