‘Jailbreak: Love on the Run’ Wins Battle of Netflix Docs; ‘It Ends with Us’ Tops VOD
It's no surprise that Justin Baldoni's "It Ends with Us" (Sony) with Blake Lively is an immediate #1 for its PVOD release 46 days after its very successful theatrical run ($148 million domestic, about triple what was anticipated).
It replaced Zoë Kravitz's "Blink Twice" (Amazon MGM) as #1. The psychological thriller is #2 this week at both iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (by revenue), with both films renting for 48 hours for $19.99.
The VOD charts remained otherwise mainly steady, with Netflix 's top 10 seeing large-scale changes and some signficant original additions. These include two documentaries, one just after significant festival exposure, the other a salacious true crime story that has already seen one previous film based on a prison escape that happened only two years ago.
Anyone who follows Netflix viewership trends won't be surprised that " Jailbreak: Love on the Run " is doing better than "Will & Harper." "Jailbreak" is based on the true story of a veteran corrections officer who helps a younger prisoner she has fallen for escape, then goes on the run with him. Already retold in a Lifetime movie ("Bad Romance: The Vicki White Story"), this 2022 story apparently still has pull. It is #1 as of now on their top 10, replacing "The Garfield Movie" (now #2).
"Will & Harper," the Sundance-premiered and TIFF and Telluride-screened documentary about Will Ferrell's travels with his recently transitioned friend and comedy collaborator Harper Steele is #4 on their list. No doubt Ferrell's draw is helping the documentary reach a wider audience, as is its presence on Netflix. Hopefully its availability on the streamer will allow it to serve as an educational tool for a broader range of the public.
Ahead of it at #3 is "Rez Ball," inspired by the true story of an Indigenous New Mexican high school basketball squad trying for a championship against the odds. LeBron James is one of the producers. It premiered at Toronto earlier this month.
"Rebel Ridge," another Netflix original continues its strong run, still #5. Azazel Jacobs' "His Three Daughters" though didn't repeat a second week, despite strong reviews (as well as festival showcasing).
It's an odd week for Netflix, without a single theatrically-released live-action library title on the list. Apart from the five originals, five animated features (all studio-released) comprise the top 10.
"The Front Room" (A24) came to PVOD after only three weekends, early for this distributor. The horror title starring Brandy was a bust at the box office. It is #9 at Vudu. It grossed less than $3 million in theaters.
Top 10siTunes ranks films daily by number of transactions, while Fandango at Home lists by revenue. The listings below are for Monday, September 24 (iTunes) and the week of September 16-22 (Fandango).
The distributors listed are current rights owners. Prices for all titles are for lowest for either rental or download.
(Sony) – $19.99
(Amazon MGM) – $19.99
(Universal) – $19.99
(Sony) – $5.99
(Universal) – $19.99
(Disney) – $9.99
(Neon) – $19.99
(Focus) – $4.99
(WB) – $3.99
(WB) – $3.99
Fandango at Home(Sony) – $19.99
(MGM Amazon) – $19.99
(Universal) – $19.99
(Lionsgate) – $19.99
(Universal) – $19.99
(Sony) – $5.99
(Disney) – $24.99
(WB) – $9.99
(A24) – $19.99
(Neon) – $19.99
Netflix MoviesThese are the most-viewed, current rankings on Netflix's domestic daily chart on Monday, September 30. Originals include both Netflix-produced and acquired titles it initially presents in the U.S. Netflix publishes its own worldwide weekly top 10 on Tuesdays based on time viewed, and usually includes films for which it doesn't have domestic rights.
(Netflix original documentary)
(2024 theatrical release)
(Netflix original)
(Netflix original documentary)
(Netflix original)
(2023 theatrical release)
(Netflix original)
(2023 theatrical release)
(2017 theatrical release)
