The big question that keeps theater owners and studio executives up at night is simple, yet monumental for the industry—Are people willing to skip the theatrical experience and pay a premium to watch new films in the comfort of their own homes? If yes, that means theaters are in serious trouble (which we’re already seeing with COVID and the rise of streaming services). If no, then studios will have to figure out how to make a profit on a blockbuster film in a time when people aren’t going to movie theaters very much and people have grown accustomed to enjoying Netflix on their couch. And though we’ve seen studios skip theaters and release big-budget films direct-to-consumers, via Premium VOD, during the pandemic, we still don’t know how successful that strategy has been, overall. However, we do have an idea of which films people are paying the money to watch.
According to a new study via THR, we now have an idea of which major pandemic-era films have actually been rented/purchased the most by people during this uncertain time. And while some of the titles and studios near the top won’t be all that surprising, the list does highlight that you don’t have to be a $200 million blockbuster to gain the attention of PVOD audiences.
Leading the way, interestingly enough, is a film that might be the most controversial of the bunch— “Mulan.” After being released on Disney+ at an additional fee, many wondered if the PVOD release of the live-action “Mulan” remake would be popular amongst viewers. Well, apparently it has been so far, as the film is the #1 PVOD title during the pandemic. Actually, this doesn’t really tell us as much as about “Mulan,” in particular. Instead, it does show a trend that is immediately clear, based on this list, which is the popularity of family films.
“Mulan” is followed by “Trolls World Tour” and “Scoob!” as the #2 and #3 films, respectively, showing that family films are the real winners during the pandemic. This is obviously due to the fact that kids have been home during the summer and school has largely gone virtual, meaning parents need to watch something with their kids. And when you have a family, the $20 or $30 premium price isn’t actually that prohibitive. Hell, it’s a downright deal when you consider the alternative of taking the clan to the theater and buying snacks for everyone.
Another trend is how popular low-budget and mid-budget projects are, with “The Invisible Man,” “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” “Antebellum,” and more rounding out the top 10. These PVOD titles don’t have nearly the expectations of “Mulan” and don’t need to make $400 million to breakeven. So, you have to assume that the studios are excited to see these titles do well and are probably making a bit of profit after everything is all said and done.
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Needless to say, the experiment of finding out if PVOD is the future is far from over. We have some evidence to show that family films and low-budget horror/drama can do well. But what about something like “Black Widow,” “No Time to Die,” or “Wonder Woman 1984?” That’s the real question. We’ll just have to wait and see if a studio will actually pull the trigger and release one of those via PVOD.
You can find the full top 10 below:
