Welcome back to Box Office Breakdown, the weekly segment where I analyze the top ten highest grossing films of the past weekend.
Unfortunately, since most theatres are still closed down due to the COVID-19 and will continue to be for a while, 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 are dedicating this segment to analyzing how each film fares on VOD.
After almost two consistent months of at least one major release title dropping on VOD each week, things are finally beginning to slow down. There hasn’t been much in the way of new releases and the films that have released on VOD within the past week are either independent films that aren’t making much of an impact on the charts or releases from earlier in the year that are finally hitting home video.
The Photograph released in theatres on Valentines Day and received relatively strong reviews despite a significant drop in profit following its opening weekend. It doesn’t seem to have staying power as it wasn’t able to secure a spot on in the iTunes Charts.
Bleecker Street’s The Assistant released in select theatres in January, making just over $1M in total. The film screened at various festivals before its theatrical release and has garnered strong reviews. As of now the film is only available for purchase and is priced at $9.99, but it will be available to rent on May 5th.
Lastly, To The Stars released on VOD this past weekend. The film premiered at sundance in 2019 to critical acclaim though had trouble finding distribution. While the film isn’t charting on iTunes, it may get a boost from the indie crowd if the word of mouth is strong.
Aside from new releases, we wanted to report which films have been generating the most sales on the iTunes Charts. Apple doesn’t release statistics or a weekly chart, so these are the top 10 films on iTunes based on the moment this article was being written:
8. Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
4. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
2. Parasite
In the coming weeks, we will continue to analyze the state of VOD releases and will provide updates regarding upcoming films.
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