Netflix audiences keep surprising people with their viewing preferences. And the streamer itself, for all its promotion and advertising and celebration of its award wins (four Golden Globes wins, including Best Film – Drama, for “Emilia Pérez”), opts not to mention this on its home website.
PVOD consumers, digitally renting or buying recent releases, performed as expected with the release of “Wicked” (Universal) last week. It is #1 at both iTunes and Fandango, with last week’s #1 “Gladiator II” (Paramount) dropping to second.
After 21 days at #1 on their U.S. top 10 movie list, the Netflix original “Carry-On” dropped to #6, below five older theatrical releases. It almost certainly will be #1 on Netflix’s weekly chart for the third time — unheard of for any film, let alone homegrown — but as of Monday, it and Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight” (#10 currently) are the only two originals on the list.
January 1 saw a big infusion of added titles from Netflix’s deals with Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount. The one as of now doing best is Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea,” about a 19th century ship’s battle with a whale, featuring Tom Holland and Cillian Murphy in its ensemble.
That film came and went in theaters in 2015 (it was positioned to run through Christmas, but was gone most places after two weeks). An expensive flop (it cost around $100 million), this looks like another case where many Netflix viewers seek out a title they are not familiar with due to top names and high production values.
This and other leading titles — right now Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” and “Watchers,” all from WB in second through four slots post-Max streaming. Curiously, all three are performing better than “Barbie” and “Dune: Chapter 2,” both of which just had brief appearances in the top 10. All this reinforces that second-tier performing theatrical films seem to interest Netflix viewers more than top hits.
They all appeal far more than “Emilia Pérez” which, though given the same usual first few days spotlight a new original does, never made the Top 10. It’s not an original in the same sense that others are (Netflix acquired rights for a handful of countries, led by the U.S.). It remains to be seen what they do when it receives its many expected Oscar nominations next week.
“Wicked” went to home viewing after its sixth weekend, longer than usual for Universal, but still a little surprising (it still grossed $10 million over the weekend). The film has grossed much more than “Oppenheimer” (a major success itself), which waited four months before getting PVOD play (the last two of which saw little added theatrical revenue). But that was clearly an exception.
Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” (Searchlight) was the other significant new release. It was #9 for the week at Fandango, currently #5 at iTunes. “Elevation” (Vertical), a sci-fi thriller with Anthony Mackie, a very modest November release, also new is #10 at Fandango.
Top 10s
iTunes ranks films daily by number of transactions, while Fandango at Home lists by revenue. The listings below are for Monday, January 6 (iTunes) and the week of December 30-January 5 (Fandango).
The distributors listed are current rights owners. Prices for all titles are for lowest for either rental or download.
iTunes
1. Wicked (Universal) – $19.99
2. Gladiator II (Paramount) – $19.99
3. The Wild Robot (Universal) – $19.99
4. The Substance (MUBI) – $5.99
5. A Real Pain (Searchlight) – $19.99
6. The Order (Vertical) – $19.99
7. Anora (Neon) – $19.99
8. Venom: The Last Dance (Sony) – $19.99
9. Heretic (A24) – $19.99
10. Saturday Night (Sony) – $5.99
Fandango at Home
1. Wicked (Universal) – $19.99
2. Gladiator II (Paramount) – $19.99
3. Venom: The Last Dance (Sony) – $19.99
4. The Wild Robot (Univeral) – $19.99
5. Heretic (A24) – $19.99
6. The Return (Bleecker Street) – $9.99
7. The Order (Vertical) – $19.99
8. Werewolves (Briarcliff) – $19.99
9. A Real Pain (Searchlight) – $19.99
10. Elevation (Vertical) – $9.99
Netflix Movies
These are the most-viewed, current rankings on Netflix’s domestic daily chart on January 6. Originals include both Netflix-produced and acquired titles it initially presents in the U.S. Netflix publishes its own worldwide weekly (and individual country) top 10s on Tuesdays based on time viewed, and usually includes films for which it doesn’t have domestic rights.
1. In the Heart of the Sea (2015 theatrical release)
2. Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 (2024 theatrical release)
3. Furiosa — A Mad Max Saga (2024 theatrical release)
4. Watchers (2024 theatrical release)
5. Despicable Me (2010 theatrical release)
6. Despicable Me 2 (2013 theatrical release)
7. Carry-On (Netflix original)
8. Interstellar (2014 theatrical release)
9. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge in the Water (2015 theatrical release)
10. The Six Triple Eight (Netflix original)
