The Weekly Watch Report: Sonic the Hedgehog rushes ahead!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

As we started with last week's inaugural Weekly Watch Report (check it out RIGHT HERE), in the ongoing absence of weekend box office results we'll be taking a look at what home audiences are consuming from the relative comfort of their bed, couch, floor or hammock.

The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) tracks the activity of home media and calculating the most popular titles across DVD and Blu-Ray sales, and Digital VOD sales and rentals. (Note that their metrics do not include "Premium" VOD titles, which typically run $19.99 for a 48-hour rental.)

Below are the most recent DEG rankings for the week ending May 23, 2020.

The PG-rated video game adaptation SONIC THE HEDGEHOG raced forward to first place this weekend as the most popular option among home viewers, bumping down the R-rated antics of DC Comics characters BIRDS OF PREY. Paramount's $85 million comedy-adventure with James Marsden, Jim Carrey and a blue CGI hero voiced by Ben Schwartz was one of the few box office successes of 2020, generating $306 million worldwide before the global coronavirus shutdown and prompting a sequel.

Disney/Pixar's fantasy ONWARD, which arrived in theaters just before the pandemic shuttered cinemas and barely scraped past $100 million worldwide, jumped onto the list from its recent DVD/Blu-ray release. The mythical animated movie, with MCU's Tom Holland and Chris Pratt voicing elf brothers, got a Premium VOD release back in March before becoming available to Disney+ members in April.

Also popping up this week were the Jane Austen romance EMMA., with Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead character's lavish period attire, along with the inspirational R-rated Ben Affleck sports drama THE WAY BACK (both movies were previously released to home audiences as Premium VOD options after getting squeezed out of theaters early in March). They were joined by DC's animated JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: APOKALIPS WAR and SPIES IN DISGUISE (Tom Holland's second voice contribution on the list).

The R-rated update of THE INVISIBLE MAN held its spot on the overall ranking but took the #1 position over on iTunes, shoving aside the Premium VOD release of animated SCOOB! (Tom Hardy's turn as ailing gangster CAPONE has already departed their list after an initial strong debut). Slipping off the list from last week were horror fairy tale GRETEL & HANSEL, holiday hit LITTLE WOMEN and subaquatic thriller UNDERWATER.

Over on Netflix, their Top 10 during the past week was filled with a wide variety of melodrama: teen melodrama ("Riverdale", "Outer Banks"), rich adult melodrama ("Dynasty"), Mexican hacker melodrama ("Control Z") and superhero melodrama ("The Flash"). There was also some romance ("Sweet Magnolias") and dark comedy ("Dead To Me"), while the animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is still pulling in plenty of viewers. But the biggest draw for the week was their new docuseries "Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich", doing a deep dive into the machinations of the convicted sex offender.

We still aren't sure when theaters may reopen — IPIC theaters seem to have an idea for June (with a number of expected precautions), while Regal Cinemas aren't making any kind of commitment whatsoever. Meanwhile, the biggest sale ever made at the Sundance Film Festival for Andy Samberg's romcom PALM SPRINGS will hit Hulu (along with some drive-in theaters) in July, and there are some rumors that Disney's live-action MULAN, originally set for release this past March, could end up going the Premium VOD route before a Disney+ release. Home viewers also now have HBO Max as yet another option for streaming services, which might be appealing for anyone who (eventually) wants to see the fabled "Snyder Cut" of JUSTICE LEAGUE.

And thanks to drive-in theaters and a lack of any studios reporting figures, IFC's low-budget horror movie THE WRETCHED is set to achieve the  milestone of topping the box office for five weekends.

You can check out all previous box office reports, from the wonderful days when theaters (and pretty much everything else) were open for business, RIGHT HERE,

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