Shang-Chi And James Bond Dominate The VOD Charts

Vudu is reporting that No Time to Die (which debuted on PVOD this past Tuesday) was tops last weekend among VOD titles in terms of overall revenue. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which debuted on EST (”priced to own”) and for free on Disney+ this past Friday, came it at number two, but we could very well see those two blockbusters battle it out for a week or three. As of this afternoon, No Time to Die is the top movie on Amazon, Google and YouTube, while Shang-Chi is tops over at Vudu and iTunes (which usually doesn’t track PVOD titles). Oddly, the MCU flick is 14th over at Amazon, but I guess Amazon users blew their $19.99 on the “season pass” for the forth season of Taylor Sheridan’s Kevin Costner-starring Yellowstone (which ranked fourth on Vudu over the weekend).

As you know if you’ve been reading these VOD reports for the last year and change, nothing but nothing stops the Yellowstone. The show’s success, including 12.7 million folks watching the season four premiere on Paramount Network, offers another example of how the shows that journalists blog about aren’t always the same as the ones general audiences watch. If I ever get sick enough to take a sick day, I will absolutely dive into it so I can do more than just smile and nod in relation to its old-school triumph. Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy sits side by side on the various VOD charts after a month (mostly) in the top spot. This “despite” a rousing $120 million domestic (from a $28 million launch) and $324 million global cume. It’s almost like a successful theatrical releases increases the value of a given film…

As for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed film is also one of Disney’s unmitigated box office hits this year, even with lower-than-normal (for Marvel) grosses. The well-reviewed and well-received action fantasy cost around $150 million, so its $430 million global cume is squarely “good enough” especially on a Covid curve. Moreover, the Simu Liu-starring flick was quite leggy, even by pandemic-era standards, earning 2.4 x its $94 million Fri-Mon Labor Day debut (or triple its $75 million Fri-Sun frame). That’s much leggier than, for example, Thor: The Dark World ($206 million from an $85 million Fri-Sun/$96 million Fri-Mon Veteran’s Day weekend launch) if understandably not quite on par with Black Panther ($700 million from a $200 million/$242 million President’s Day weekend launch). Yes, it would have earned more overseas in healthier Covid circumstances, but that’s #ShangChi2goals.

In terms of the big movies released in 2021, there have been a few unmitigated theatrical hits, and not just among horror movies like A Quiet Place part II ($297 million on a $61 million budget), Halloween Kills ($130 million/$20 million) or The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ($200 million/$39 million). Warner Bros. bought out Legendary’s share of Godzilla Vs. Kong’s budget, meaning they got the glory when the MonsterVerse flick aggressively overperformed to the tune of $468 million global or 2.84 times its $165 million budget. Covid delays and related marketing reboots may prevent No Time to Die from reaching its alleged $800 million theatrical break-even point. However, with $708 million thus far and another $50-$60 million left to go, the 007 movie is still going to more-than-triple its $250 million budget. And F9 did earn $721 million on an over/under $215 million budget.

Speaking of not taking the easy way out, because there’s no shortcut home (and giving in would be wrong), the director’s cut of Rocky IV was 11th on Vudu over the weekend. The 94 minute re-edit of the 91-minute 1985 blockbuster removes most of the 80’s kitsch (like Paulie’s robot) and Cold War jingoism while offering up 40 minutes of deleted scenes, alternate takes and different edits. It’s a disjointed offering, closer to the “Richard Donner cut” of Superman II than Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but it’s fun for fans and will make a hell of a film school item. It got a one-night only theatrical play last Thursday night, with Fathom calling it their most successful live event in 18 months. Rocky Vs. Drago currently ranks 58th on Google, 217th on YouTube, 17th on Amazon, 17th on Vudu and fifth on iTunes.