While Warner Bros. Discovery no doubt would rather forget the recent Joker: Folie à Deux fiasco, they are enjoying some successes with their theatrical properties. After an unusually short 32-day theatrical window, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is enjoying its own wave of SVOD streaming success. Entertainment lawyer at Blake & Wang P.A., Brandon Blake, takes a closer look.
Knocking Deadpool and Wolverine off the Charts
While the film is unlikely to unseat Deadpool and Wolverine from its cozy spot as this year’s second-highest-grossing box office release, it has managed to knock it down the SVOD charts after only one week. Interestingly, it’s in the No. 1 spot on Fandango, which purely counts revenue (unlike iTunes, which works by transaction volume and placed the film at No. 3). This is significant, as Deadpool and Wolverine cost 25% more to rent, making Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s victory remarkably clear. And all this came from a 5-day release alone.
Can it Keep the Crown?
However, its No. 1 spot may not be held for long. Alien: Romulus will be released this week, and after a generally successful theatrical run, it may have the power to knock it down the charts a rank or two. Reagan, which releases on the same day, may also attract some SVOD attention.
There’s another unusual ‘glitch’ in the charting matrix this week. Despite a 4-month delay in moving to streaming, Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die took over the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s release list and seems likely to stay in the Top 10 for quite a while, based on its performance in other VOD lists. Twisters has also moved to VOD, and Universal has been remarkably successful at maximizing streaming rental revenues to date.
While nothing is likely to take the sting out of the disaster that was Joker: Folie à Deux, Warner Bros. Discovery has reason to celebrate this week. Whether it can sustain its SVOD success is a question for another week.
Film and Television 