{"id":2431,"date":"2020-05-12T23:42:13","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T23:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/?p=2431"},"modified":"2020-12-15T02:02:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T02:02:43","slug":"indiewire-05-12-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/indiewire-05-12-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Liam Hemsworth in \u2018Arkansas\u2019 Leads VODs, While Netflix Wins with Terry Crews in \u2018John Henry\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Liam Hemsworth in \u2018Arkansas\u2019 Leads VODs, While Netflix Wins with Terry Crews in \u2018John Henry\u2019<\/h1>\n

Movie fans focused on VOD value this week \u2014 an easy choice, with no new major releases. (That will change in a few days with the Warner Bros. original family title \u201cScoob!\u201d at $19.99.) Sony\u2019s \u201cBloodshot\u201d opened the last weekend theaters operated, became a $19.99 premium VOD offering a few weeks later, and last Tuesday it dropped to $5.99. It now stands in the top three for all of our reported charts, including #1 at Amazon Prime, and #2 at FandangoNow which ranks by amount paid, not transactions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI Still Believe\u201d dropped its prices to $5.99 this week, and their chart placements improved. This flags a potential issue: How many people will get used to holding off for a few weeks, in exchange for seeing the price drop by 60 percent or more? Many of these viewers were content to wait three months after initial theatrical play, so delaying rental for a month might not be a tough choice.<\/p>\n

The top new VOD title this week is a new Lionsgate film at $5.99: \u201cArkansas\u201d placed as high as #3 during the week as iTunes, and is currently #6 on both iTunes and FandangoNOW. What this crime drama lacks in originality (it\u2019s about a drug kingpin in the Ozarks) is countered by a name cast who includes Liam Hemsworth, Vince Vaughn, Michael Kenneth Williams, and John Malkovich.<\/p>\n

Topping Netflix is \u201cJohn Henry\u201d starring Terry Crews and Ludacris, a title given a cursory January 24 release by Saban Films to support a VOD bid. The Los Angeles gang drama received little notice, and a 27 percent Metacritic score based on a handful of reviews, but the film apparently found a new lease on life via subscription.<\/p>\n

Also of note is the latest D.C. Comics animated home release \u201cJustice League Dark: Apokolips War\u201d as a premium ($19.99) release. Among other direct-to-VOD titles, \u201cValley Girl\u201d (United Artists), \u201cSpaceship Earth\u201d (Neon), and last week\u2019s much higher \u201cRobert the Bruce\u201d (Screen Media) did best, though below the top 10.<\/p>\n

A still from Spaceship Earth<\/i> by Matt Wolf, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.rrAll photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and\/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and\/or photos is strictly prohibited.
\n\u201cSpaceship Earth\u201d<\/p>\n

PHILIPPE PLAILLY\/SCIENCE PHOTO L<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Assistant\u201d (Bleecker Street), which after its truncated specialized run got as high as #2 on iTunes last week, is still seeing interest and likely substantial revenue (as always, we only see placement, not actual results unlike theatrical box office). Other notables include the unexplained return of \u201cFord v Ferrari\u201d to #1 for six days in a row. \u201cBombshell\u201d fell to $2.99 on iTunes, with a #4 ranking as its award.<\/p>\n

Amazon Prime
\n(ranked by # of transactions, daily position as of Monday, May 11)<\/p>\n