Just before “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Universal) hits PVOD on May 16 (an unusually long 41 days after its theatrical release), three movies – two are new releases – ranked #1 this week .
May 12 saw the debut of two films with similar storylines. In “The Mother,” Jennifer Lopez plays a retired government agent who rescues her daughter she gave up for adoption years earlier, while “Hypnotic” stars Ben Affleck as a cop trying to find her missing daughter. . There the similarity ends: “The Mother” is No. 1 on Netflix, while Robert Rodriguez’s $70 million “Hypnotic” hit theaters with disastrous results.
The difference isn’t in the pair’s respective star power, and both films draw on the same template as “Taken.” However, “The Mother” looks fresher with Lopez playing Liam Neeson/Gerard Butler and is a streaming original — a platform that makes it easier to attract viewers with a household name.
Affleck remains a viable draw. “Air,” which he also directed, surpassed $60 million at the domestic box office, the most for a non-franchise title. It streamed on Amazon Prime this weekend (exclusively, after skipping the PVOD). Amazon will sometimes release initial results from these debuts, as of this writing, it hasn’t.
Expect “SMB” and “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate) to dominate the coming weeks. For now, “Evil Dead Rise” (Warner Bros. Discovery) and “The Covenant” (Lionsgate), both available after just three weekends in theaters, and “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (Paramount), have grabbed the first places respectively on iTunes, Google Play and Vudu.
The early release of “Evil Dead Rise” and “The Covenant” is curious. While WBD did similar for “House Party” and “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” neither saw the success of its New Line horror sequel. However, all three films were originally slated for direct play on HBO Max. Its DCU title ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ also moved to PVOD after 21 days.
The excellent result of “The Covenant” (in a competitive week, it is also number 3 of Vudu) once again demonstrates the strong appeal of war-themed titles. Though it only grossed $16 million in theaters, it holds its own against bigger releases. The earlier date may also reflect Lionsgate’s desire to avoid competition with the upcoming ‘John Wick 4’.
“Evil” and “Covenant” both cost $19.99 to rent, while “D&D,” available now for a few weeks, can be downloaded for that price. Only two titles, Universal’s “Cocaine Bear” and “Knock at the Cabin,” are available to rent for $5.99.
Other films in all three charts are second week releases “Renfield” (Universal) and “The Pope’s Exorcist” (Sony), both in PVOD after three weekends, and the longest running “Avatar: The Way of Water ” and “Ant -Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (both Disney).
‘The Mother’ (directed by Niki Caro, best known for ‘Whale Rider’) is the only Netflix Original in the top 10. It replaced the smash hit ‘A Man Called Otto’ which is still #2.
Two debut features were limited foreign-language theatrical releases later acquired by the streamer. “¡Que viva México!”, a Spanish-language political satire, is a Sony production starring Damián Alcázar in a controversial comedy about a family fighting for an inheritance, which “Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway”, is a Hindi drama about an immigrant mother’s struggle to keep custody of her children.
iTunes and Google Play rank movies each day based on the number of transactions. These are the lists for Monday 15 May. The distributors listed are the current rights holders. Prices for all titles are per rental.
iTunes
1. The Covenant (Lionsgate) – $19.99
2. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) – $19.99
3. Rise of the Evil Dead (WBD) – $19.99
4. Avatar: The Water Way (Disney) – $19.99
5. The pope’s exorcist (Sony) – $19.99
6. Cocaine Bear (Universal) – $5.99
7. Renfield (Universal) – $19.99
8. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania (Disney) – $19.99
9. Knock on the booth (Universal) – $5.99
10. Creed III (MGM) – $19.99
Google Play
1. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) – $19.99
2. Rise of the Evil Dead (WBD) – $19.99
3. Avatar: The Water Way (Disney) – $19.99
4. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania(Disney) – $19.99
5. The Covenant (Lionsgate) – $19.99
6. Rinfield (Universal) – $19.99
7. The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony) – $19.99
8. Shazam! Fury of the Gods(WBD) – $19.99
9.65 (Sony) – $19.99
10. Creed III (MGM) – $19.99
Voodoo
Vudu ranks based on revenue, not transactions, elevating premium VOD titles. This list covers May 8-14.
1. The Rise of the Evil Dead (WBD) – $19.99
2. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) – $19.99
3. The Covenant (Lionsgate) – $19.99
4. Renfield (Universal) – $19.99
5. The pope’s exorcist (Sony) – $19.99
6. Avatar: The Water Way (Disney) – $19.99
7. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (WBD) – $19.99
8. Creed III (MGM) – $19.99
9. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania (Disney) – $19.99
10. Knock on the booth (Universal) – $5.99
Netflix movies
Most Viewed, current ranking on Netflix’s daily leaderboard on Monday, May 15. Originals include both Netflix-produced and acquired titles it initially presents in the United States. Netflix releases its weekly top 10 list on Tuesdays by watch time.
1. The Mother (Netflix original)
2. A man named Otto (2022 theatrical release)
3. Long live Mexico!(2023 theatrical release)
4. Ugly dolls (2019 theatrical release)
5. The Croods (2013 theatrical release)
6. GI Joe: Retaliation (2013 theatrical release)
7. Heat (1995 theatrical release)
8. Perfect pitch (2012 theatrical release)
9. Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway (2023 theatrical release)
10. Sing 2 (2021 theatrical release)
