“Morbius,” just reduced to $5.99, “Uncharted” at the same price though not new, and the quickly lowered “Father Stu” all got the placement, with the first two sharing #1 positions. Sony has normally had somewhat extended windows for its top films like “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Uncharted,” then doing well on more expensive PVOD transactions for extended periods. “Morbius” and “Father Stu” both had more standard 45-day PVOD releases, and “Stu” an expedited reduced price play. The lower-cost “Morbius” is back at #1 on Google Play and Vudu, with “Uncharted” ahead on iTunes. When not #1, each film is either #2 or 3 on the remaining chart. “Stu” is #5 on iTunes, and 10th on Google Play.

This is a switch from last week, when two new PVOD releases — “Downton Abbey: A New Era” (Focus) and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24), both $19.99 — led all charts. Neither sustained its lead position, with “Everything” ranging from #3 to #5, “Downton” #6 on two charts and missing from Google Play’s top 10. Related ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Continues Surge, Most Other New Titles Swoon as Holiday Nears End ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Could Reach $600 Million Domestic, $2 Billion Worldwide Related Influential Awards Bodies Reshape 2023 Best Documentary Feature Race Oscars 2023: Best Original Song Predictions
That even Vudu, which calculates by money paid for titles rather than transactions, has “Morbius” and “Uncharted” in its two top, and three of its top five similarly lower-priced, raises questions. That means four times or more people chose them over the highest-ranked PVOD title (“Bad Guys”/Universal at $19.99). It appears that many home viewers now see that if you wait a few weeks, a film can be seen for a lesser price. And this might also reflect the quicker drop for recent new films — those viewers most interested still go with PVOD, while others show patience. This hardly means that either “Downton” or “Everything” is suffering. Both though getting decent or better theatrical interest are lower-budget films. The broader audience that propels top films like “No Way Home” or “Top Gun: Maverick” isn’t interested in more niche titles to the same level. It’s more important that they sustain multi-week play (we of course have little awareness as of now of the actual relative levels on these charts), and both likely jump when their price is reduced. “The Lost City” (Paramount/$4.99) joined “Everything,” “Morbius,” and “Uncharted” on all three charts. This week though, atypically, saw no new releases. This week sees both “Watcher” (IFC) and “Crimes of the Future” (Neon) available after their respective third weekends in theaters. Apple

Home viewing this week saw streaming debuts of multiple films that previously would have been theater exclusives with some potential. “Cha Cha Real Smooth” came to Apple, the same day as limited theaters. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” is on Hulu, with Searchlight’s acquisition skipping theaters entirely. The latest remake of “Father of the Bride” is on HBO Max. “Hustle,” Adam Sandler’s latest film, in its second week on Netflix is getting a strong critical response. It’s possible the quality of films like these is causing more competition for people who might otherwise spend money for standalone viewing. It also comes at a moment when among the expected reasons for the disappointing showing for Disney’s “Lightyear” include that many viewers are savvy enough to figure they can watch it on Disney+ soon similar to other recent Pixar titles. It’s too early to spot a cost-cutting trend, and some of this may be the result of a wider number of movie choices on lots of platforms at the moment. “Hustle” was displaced as #1 at Netflix by “Spiderhead.” This is yet another example of the streamer attracting top talent, then at least initially getting viewing. The thriller with prisoners volunteering to take experimental drugs in exchange for sentence reductions was directed by Joseph Kosinski. He made this after completing the long-delayed “Top Gun: Maverick.” Miles Teller from that film co-stars here with Chris Evans. “Hustle” is now #3. (“It” from Warner Bros. — streamer placement patterns continue to be baffling — just arrived at #2). During the week, it held off the Jennifer Lopez documentary “Halftime,” which reached #2 (now #4). It is a stronger-than-usual group of original releases for the streamer, which despite all the bad headlines does continue to deliver in terms of creative participation elevated programming. iTunes and Google Play rank films daily by number of transactions. These are the listings for June 20. Distributors listed are current rights owners.

iTunes

  1. Uncharted (Sony) – $5.99
  2. Morbius (Sony) – $5.99
  3. Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24) – $19.99
  4. The Lost City (Paramount) – $4.99
  5. Father Stu (Sony) – $5.99
  6. Downton Abbey: A New Era (Focus) – $19.99
  7. Dog (United Artists) – $5.99
  8. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Paramount) – $4.99
  9. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) – $5.99
  10. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Lionsgate) – $19.99

Google Play

  1. Morbius (Sony) – $5.99
  2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Paramount) – $4.99
  3. Uncharted (Sony) – $5.99
  4. Everything Everywhere Always All at Once (A24) – $19.99
  5. The Lost City (Paramount) – $4.99
  6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) – $5.99
  7. The Bad Guys (Universal) – $19.99
  8. Jurassic World: Forbidden Kingdom (Universal) – $3.99
  9. Top Gun (Paramount) – $2.99
  10. Father Stu (Sony) – $5.99

Vudu

Vudu ranks by revenue, not transactions, which elevates Premium VOD titles. This list covers June 13-19

  1. Morbius (Sony) – $5.99

  2. Uncharted (Sony) – $5.99

  3. The Bad Guys (Universal) – $19.99

  4. The Batman (Warner Bros.) – $5.99

  5. Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24) – $19.99

  6. Downton Abbey: A New Era (Focus) – $19.99

  7. The Lost City (Paramount) – $4.99

  8. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Lionsgate) – $19.99

  9. Dog (United Artists) – $5.99

  10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Paramount) – $4.99 Netflix

Netflix Movies

Most viewed, current ranking on Netflix’s daily chart on Monday, June 20. 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. Spiderhead  (2022 Netflix original)
  2. It (2017 theatrical release)
  3. Hustle (2022 Netflix original)
  4. Halftime (2022 Netflix documentary original)
  5. Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022 Netflix animated original)
  6. Speed Kills (2018 home video release)
  7. Collision (2022 Netflix South African original)
  8. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 theatrical release)
  9. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011 theatrical release)
  10. The Wrath of God (2022 Netflix original) Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.