Welcome back to Box Office Breakdown, the weekly segment where we analyze the top ten highest grossing films of the past weekend.
Unfortunately, since most theatres are now closed due to the COVID-19, we are unable to analyze the box office as studios are not reporting weekend projections. Due to this situation, studios are prematurely pulling films from theatres and releasing them on VOD, allowing audiences to watch them within the comfort of their own home. While theatres are temporarily shut down for an indefinite amount of time, we will dedicate this segment to analyzing how each film fares on VOD and we will also report on the fate of upcoming releases.
Four previously released films were prematurely pulled from any remaining theatres and were released on VOD this past Friday. Three of which were from Universal, which was the first studio to adapt to these sudden changes. The Invisible Man, Emma, and The Hunt each saw varying degrees of success at the box office and were all notable releases in their own right. Universal took this opportunity to capitalize on the situation by releasing these films early on VOD, which on paper seems like a genius marketing decision. However, according to reports from iTunes and Amazon (the two largest VOD platforms), sales figures haven’t been as strong as expected. The Invisible Man has been floating around the bottom half of the top 10 on the iTunes charts and seems to have gained a second wind while Emma and The Hunt are struggling to make a significant mark. Both films are currently in the low 20’s on the iTunes charts, but have failed to crack the top 50 on the Amazon charts.
Following in the footsteps of Universal. Disney released Onward on VOD and then upped the anti by announcing that the film will be added to Disney+ on April 3rd. While It’s box office run was severely hindered due to the COVID-19, it seems to have found success on VOD, as it has since dominated the iTunes Charts over the weekend, firmly sitting at #1.
Alongside the four previously mentioned films, a slew of first-run movies are set to release on VOD this week as Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Bloodshot, and The Gentlemen are available to rent starting today while Sonic the Hedgehog and I Still Believe are set to be released later this week.
In terms of upcoming releases, Marvel’s highly anticipated Black Widow has had its May 1st release date pulled and has now been postponed indefinitely. Other May releases seeing delays include The Woman in the Window and The Personal History of David Copperfield.
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