SONIC THE HEDGEHOG & BAD BOYS FOR LIFE are some of the latest films that earned early VOD releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they are now leading the pack across various VOD and digital platforms.
Across FandangoNOW, ITunes, & Amazon Prime, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG and BAD BOYS FOR LIFE are thriving & were the top choices for home viewing since their release on March 31. Their place here seems fitting because, during what became a rather short Q1 at the box office, these two titles are the top theatrical releases of 2020 so far. BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, starring Will Smith & Martin Lawrence, has grossed $419 million worldwide ($204.4 million domestic) while SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is now the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all-time with a worldwde gross of $306.7 million ($146 million domestic).
The VOD chart is still dominated by the theatrical releases that arrived early due to the movie theater closures. Eight out of then ten spots are occupied by these titles which include SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (1st), BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (2nd), THE INVISIBLE MAN (3rd), ONWARD (5th), BLOODSHOT (6th), BIRDS OF PREY (8th), I STILL BELIEVE (9th) & THE CALL OF THE WILD (10th). STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (4th) & JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (7th) make up the rest of the chart. These films are available for $4.99 since they had a full theatrical run.
While the placement of these films on the chart are impressive, the one caveat here is that the actual grosses for the VOD releases are not made public at this time so there's no real solid way to see how the films are actually doing. Most of the early theatrical releases to hit the format are priced at $19.99 for a typical 48-hour rental & while that's a good deal for a family of five viewing, one has to wonder if those living alone are throwing down $19.99 to rent a movie. Some titles are available at a lower price like THE CALL OF THE WILD ($4.99) & BRAHMS: THE BOY II ($9.99), although the latter is missing from this weeks top ten chart.
Other interesting tidbits from the charts come from ITunes with 2011's CONTAGION still in their top ten in eighth place due to everyone's obsession comparing it to the real-life pandemic we are currently experencing. The film has been in the ITUNES top ten since around the time of The Academy Awards back in February. Also, on the Netflix chart, the latest docu-series obsession, Tiger King, is still number one after two weeks but Ozark already places second since launching its third season on March 27.
Have YOU rented any of the early VOD releases? Do YOU think they're worth $19.99 to rent?