Tomorrow, “Barbie” (Warner Bros.) will make its home-viewing debut at $24.99 for rental, $29.99 for digital download, and will presumably sweep all #1 positions for weeks to come. The extent may depend on the as-yet undated PVOD arrivals of “Oppenheimer,” “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One,” and “Sound of Freedom.”
For now, our usual chart lineup is down one list: Google Play mysteriously has the same films in the same order for more than a week. In that universe, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is still #1 while “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” has yet to chart. (It currently is #2 at Vudu, #4 at iTunes.)
Other #1 slots reflect the ways iTunes and Vudu calculate their lists. “No Hard Feelings” (Sony), which had an early rental price reduction to $5.99 after success at $19.99, is #1 on iTunes, which calculates by transactions. Just-released R-rated comedy “Strays” (Universal) leads at Vudu, which ranks by revenue.
“Hard” is in sixth place at Vudu, behind five higher-priced PVOD titles. “Strays” is #5 on iTunes, with two other PVOD titles (“Indiana Jones” and “Turtles”) doing better there.
Disney+ doesn’t provide a list of top-viewed movies, but the studio just announced that “The Little Mermaid” received 16 million views in its first five days (apparently worldwide, though it didn’t specify). That would be the most since “Hocus Pocus 2,” which skipped theaters domestically.
The timing of the announcement is curious. It’s a strong response that underlines the importance of striking actors and writers finding a way to be compensated for the high level of consumer interest.
What qualifies a film as a Netflix original? “Woody Woodpecker,” now #1 on its movie top 10, was made by Universal, the studio that created the character with animator Walter Lantz in 1940 as a would-be rival to Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny.
The “Woody” cartoon shorts were staples in the ’40s, with TV providing them a new lease on life in the late ’50s. Since then, the character has lived on most successfully in Brazil. Universal’s Illumination began developing “Woody Woodpecker” in 2011, but that never took flight.
However, in 2017 Universal International distributed a live-action-animated hybrid that received only VOD release in the U.S. It’s still available there for $3.99, but apparently Netflix made many thousands of parents aware of it for the first time. The “N” attached in its promos conveys that it’s at least a domestic premiere and exclusive. It’s not, but print the legend.
Studio releases take up most of its top 10 but the Adam Sandler production, “You’re So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” is still #2, a strong showing in its third week.
iTunes ranks films daily by number of transactions. These are the listings for Monday, September 11. Distributors listed are current rights owners. Prices for all titles are for rental. As noted above, at least temporarily Google Play isn’t providing updated charts.
iTunes
1. No Hard Feelings (Sony) – $5.99
2. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) – $19.99
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony) – $5.99
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount) – $19.99
5. Strays (Universal) – $19.99
6. Meg 2: The Trench – $19.99
7. Fast X (Universal) – $5.99
8. Elemental (Disney) – $19.99
9. Asteroid City (Focus) – $5.99
10. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) – $5.99
Vudu
Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, elevating premium VOD titles. This list covers September 4-10.
1. Strays (Disney) – $19.99
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount) – $19.99
3. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) – $19.99
4. Meg 2: The Trench (WB) – $19.99
5. The Last Voyage of the Demeter (Universal) – $19.99
6. No Hard Feelings (Sony) – $5.99
7. Elemental (Disney) – $19.99
8. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Sony) – $19.99
9. The Boogeyman (Disney) – $14.99
10. Insidious: The Red Door (Sony) – $19.99
Netflix Movies
Most viewed, current ranking on Netflix’s daily chart on Monday, September 11. Originals include both Netflix-produced and acquired titles it initially presents in the U.S. Netflix publishes its own weekly top 10 on Tuesdays based on time viewed
1. Woody Woodpecker (Netflix U.S. original)
2. You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitvah (Netflix original)
3. Snitch (2013 theatrical release)
4. Dredd (2012 theatrical release)
5. Basic (2003 theatrical release)
6. The Eagle (2011 theatrical release)
7. Love Again (2023 theatrical release)
8. Don’t Worry Darling (2022 theatrical release)
9. Killers (2010 theatrical release)
10. Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (Netflix original documentary)
