Liam Hemsworth in ‘Arkansas’ Leads VODs, While Netflix Wins with Terry Crews in ‘John Henry’

Movie fans focused on VOD value this week — an easy choice, with no new major releases. (That will change in a few days with the Warner Bros. original family title “Scoob!” at $19.99.) Sony’s “Bloodshot” opened the last weekend theaters operated, became a $19.99 premium VOD offering a few weeks later, and last Tuesday it dropped to $5.99. It now stands in the top three for all of our reported charts, including #1 at Amazon Prime, and #2 at FandangoNow which ranks by amount paid, not transactions.

“I Still Believe” dropped its prices to $5.99 this week, and their chart placements improved. This flags a potential issue: How many people will get used to holding off for a few weeks, in exchange for seeing the price drop by 60 percent or more? Many of these viewers were content to wait three months after initial theatrical play, so delaying rental for a month might not be a tough choice.

The top new VOD title this week is a new Lionsgate film at $5.99: “Arkansas” placed as high as #3 during the week as iTunes, and is currently #6 on both iTunes and FandangoNOW. What this crime drama lacks in originality (it’s about a drug kingpin in the Ozarks) is countered by a name cast who includes Liam Hemsworth, Vince Vaughn, Michael Kenneth Williams, and John Malkovich.

Topping Netflix is “John Henry” starring Terry Crews and Ludacris, a title given a cursory January 24 release by Saban Films to support a VOD bid. The Los Angeles gang drama received little notice, and a 27 percent Metacritic score based on a handful of reviews, but the film apparently found a new lease on life via subscription.

Also of note is the latest D.C. Comics animated home release “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” as a premium ($19.99) release. Among other direct-to-VOD titles, “Valley Girl” (United Artists), “Spaceship Earth” (Neon), and last week’s much higher “Robert the Bruce” (Screen Media) did best, though below the top 10.

A still from Spaceship Earth by Matt Wolf, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.rrAll photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
“Spaceship Earth”

PHILIPPE PLAILLY/SCIENCE PHOTO L

“The Assistant” (Bleecker Street), which after its truncated specialized run got as high as #2 on iTunes last week, is still seeing interest and likely substantial revenue (as always, we only see placement, not actual results unlike theatrical box office). Other notables include the unexplained return of “Ford v Ferrari” to #1 for six days in a row. “Bombshell” fell to $2.99 on iTunes, with a #4 ranking as its award.

Amazon Prime
(ranked by # of transactions, daily position as of Monday, May 11)

1. Bloodshot (Sony) – $5.99
2. Trolls World Tour (Universal) – $19.99 (rental only)
3. Bad Boys for Life (Sony) – $5.99
4. Bombshell (Lionsgate) – $2.99
5. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount) – $7.99
6. The Gentlemen (STX) – $5.99
7. The Greatest Showman (Disney) – $3.99
8. Knives Out (Lionsgate) – $5.99
9. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) – $5.99
10. Little Women (Sony) – $4.99

FandangoNOW
(ranked by revenue accrued for the past week, posted Monday, May 11)

1. Trolls World Tour (Universal) – $19.99
2. Bloodshot (Sony) – $4.99
3. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount) – $4.99
4. Bad Boys for Life (Sony) – $4.99
5. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) – $4.99
6. Arkansas (Lionsgate) – $5.99
7. Birds of Prey (Warner Bros.) – $5.99
8. Gretel & Hansel – $5.99
9. I Still Believe (Lionsgate) – $5.99
10. The Gentlemen (STX) – $4.99

Spectrum
(ranked by transactions over the past week, posted May 8; all are $6.99 except $19.99 for “Trolls World Tour”)

1. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount)
2. Bad Boys for Life (Sony)
3. Bloodshot (Sony)
4. Trolls World Tour (Universal)
5. Call of the Wild (Disney)
6. Like a Boss (Paramount)
7. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney)
8. Brahms: The Boy 2 (STX)
9. The Way Back (Warner Bros.)
10. Birds of Prey (Warner Bros.)

“Ford v Ferrari”

Fox

iTunes
(ranked by # of transactions, daily position as of Monday, May 11 , excludes premium VOD rental-only titles)

1. Ford v Ferrari (Disney) – $5.99
2. Bloodshot (Sony) – $5.99
3. Bad Boys for Life (Sony) – $5.99
4. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount) – $5.99
5. The Assistant (Bleecker Street) – $5.99
6. Arkansas (Lionsgate) – $5.99
7. The Gentlemen (STX) – $5.99
8. Call of the Wild (Disney) – $3.99
9. I Still Believe (Lionsgate) – $5.99
10. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) – $5.99

Netflix Movies
(most viewed, current ranking as of Monday, May 11)

1. John Henry (2020 theatrical/VOD release)
2. Sleepless (2012 theatrical release)
3. Becoming (Netflix original)
4. Extraction (Netflix original)
5. Den of Thieves (2018 theatrical release)
6. The House at the End of the Street (2012 theatrical release)
7. The Willoughbys (Netflix original)
8. Dangerous Lives (Netflix original)
9. Madagascar 2 (2008 theatrical release)
10. Armed Response (2017 theatrical release)

View this article at IndieWire.