The second-highest grossing movie of the year, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (Warner Bros.), is the follow-up to “Dune: Part Two” from the same studio. The $19.99 rental shot to the top of the Fandango (revenue) and iTunes (transaction counting) VOD lists right away.
The release occurs 46 days following its theatrical debut, which is a reasonable amount of time, if not a little bit longer. After five weeks of its domestic release, “Godzilla Minus One” (Toho), the sleeper Japanese hit and Oscar Visual Effects winner, is still not available for home viewing.
The date is related to agreements not to directly compete with each other made by the Japanese owner of the Godzilla franchise and Legendary Films, the US licensee. It is unclear when Toho’s film will be allowed to be released, even as the Warners film gets closer to becoming a home release ($5.99 for rentals and Max streaming to come).
Conversely, Netflix broke the previous record for Sony releases when it began streaming “Madame Web” almost three months after its first release. After opening on February 14 and earning $43 million in theatres across the United States and Canada, it was moved to VOD. On Netflix, it is the top title.
Netflix has been receiving film licences from Sony for around four months now. Although it went unnoticed, Warner Bros. and Max spearheaded the drive to streaming for even some popular films, which has accelerated to less than three months. About 80 days after their theatrical premieres, “Wonka” and, as of late, “Dune: Part 2,” have both reached Max.
After 21 days in theatres, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers,” starring Zendaya, was removed from PVOD. As per Amazon’s strategy for its films, streaming is postponed until all other revenue streams have been exhausted. It ranks #7 at Fandango and #5 on iTunes.
“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly War” (Lionsgate) and “Ghostbusters: The New Empire” (Sony), which both debuted last week, are still ranked #2 and ahead of “Challengers.” Although “Ministry” made less money than “Challengers,” movies with military themes frequently do better at home.
A week after its theatrical launch, the Australian thriller “Forces of Nature: The Dry 2” (IFC), starring Eric Bana, arrived at #8 on iTunes. “Sting” (Well Go), an Australian film with a New York setting and a horror premise, debuted at #6 at Fandango in April after a short run. It costs $19.99.
The Brooke Shields-starring Netflix original “Mother of the Bride” dropped from first to third. The only other original on the top 10 is the animated “Thelma the Unicorn,” co-directed by Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”), which comes in at #4. “Unfrosted” by Jerry Seinfeld did not last for a third week.
The highest ranked of the eight older studio releases (three of which are animated) is Paul Feig’s 2018 comedy “A Simple Favour,” starring Anna Kendrick.
Top Tens
While Fandango at Home classifies films by income, iTunes rates films every day based on the quantity of transactions. The following are the listings for May 20, Monday.
Present owners of the rights are the distributors on the list. All titles have the lowest possible prices for downloads or rentals.
iTunes
1. Kong x Godzilla: The New Empire (WB) costs $19.99.
2. Lionsgate’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare costs $19.99.
3. Dune: Second Part (WB): $19.99
4. Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, $19.99
5. $19.99 for Challengers (MGM Amazon)
6. Yuma County’s Final Stop (Well Go): $6.99
7. Abigail: $19.99 (Universal)
8. The Dry 2 (IFC) by Force of Nature costs $6.99.
9. Twister: $3.99 (WB)
10. $3.99 for Mad Max: Fury Road (WB)
Tango at Home
1. Kong x Godzilla: The New Empire (WB) costs $19.99.
2. Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, $19.99
3. Lionsgate’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare costs $19.99.
4. Abigail: $19.99 (Universal)
5. Dune: Second Part (WB): $19.99
6. $19.99 for Sting (Well Go).
7. Challengers: $19.99 (Amazon MGM)
8. $19.99 for Kung Fu Panda 4 (Universal)
9. $6.99 Arcadian (RLJ)
10. IFC Films’ Late Night with the Devil ( $14.99)
Netflix Films
On Monday, May 20, these are the top spots currently having the most views on Netflix’s domestic daily chart. Netflix Originals comprise both titles it has purchased and created that it premieres in the United States. On Tuesdays, Netflix releases its own global weekly top 10 ranked by time viewed.
1. Madame Web, which opens in theatres in 2024
2. A Simple Favour (theatre release, 2018)
3. Mother of the Bride (original Netflix stream)
4. Thelma the Unicorn, an original animated Netflix series
5. Improvement (2018 cinematic release)
6. Shrek (theatre release, 2001)
7. To Dumb and Dumber (theatre release, 2014)
8. The Mario Bros. Film (2023 theatrical release)
9. Anyone but You, which opens in theatres in 2023
10. In theatres in 2010, Shrek Forever After
