Box Office Breakdown (July 31 – August 2)

Tristan FrenchAugust 3, 2020n/a9 min

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  releasing their films exclusively on VOD, allowing audiences to watch them within the comfort of their own home. Theatres are beginning to open back up in certain areas with restrictions in place, but studios are waiting a few weeks before releasing major films. In the meantime, we are dedicating this segment to analyzing how each film fares on VOD and Streaming. 

This past weekend was very uneventful in terms of new VOD releases, as independent studios are beginning to integrate their new releases into theatres and drive-ins. The most high profile release was Yes, God, Yes; a coming-of-age comedy starring Natalia Dyer of Stranger Things fame. The film takes place in the early 2000s and follows a high school student devoted to the catholic faith, who begins to explore her sexuality after accidentally stumbling across an aol chatroom for local hook-ups. Despite its controversial  nature, the film has received very strong reception from both critics and audiences, as it currently holds a 93% critic score and a 81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is not available to stream on iTunes, which may affect its audience reach.

The other prolific VOD release this past weekend was Random Acts of Violencewhich marks the directorial debut of Canadian actor and comedian Jay Baruchel. The film follows two comic book authors who begin to notice startling similarities between recent horrific real-life events and the comic book character they created. The film is extremely violent and is definitely targeted towards a niche audience, but it seems to be doing relatively well financially, as it is currently in the top 25 on the iTunes Charts.

In terms of new streaming releases, Disney+ released Beyonce’s highly anticipated visual album Black is KingBased entirely on the music Beyoncé wrote for The Lion King remake, this visual piece is a celebration of Black power and weaves a tale of a young king’s transcendent journey through betrayal, love & self identity. The film has received very strong reviews from critics and seems to be gaining a lot of traction from both Beyoncé fans and Disney+ subscribers.

As of recent, the Digital Entertainment Group have been putting together a weekly chart listing the films/TV series’ that have generated the most sales domestically across all VOD platforms, as well as BluRay/DVD sales. Instead of following the iTunes Charts, we will be referring to the DEG charts from now on in this section of the Box Office Breakdown segment. 

10. The High Note

9. Jumanji: The Next Level

8. The Invisible Man

7. Sonic the Hedgehog

6. The Outpost 

5. Yellowstone: Season 2

4. Yellowstone: Season 3

3. Yellowstone: Season 1

2. Scoob

1. Trolls World Tour

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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