Twisters (Universal) wasn’t the biggest movie of the summer (it landed at No. 4 in the US/Canada and No. 6 worldwide), but it’s making a comeback in the group, both in theaters and at home.
The tornado-focused special effects disaster film just had a very rare theatrical weekend. In its seventh weekend, losing 200 theaters (but still over 3,000), its gross increased 17 percent. That happened in its third week on PVOD ($19.99 rental, no price change). And at exactly the same time, “Twisters” returned to No. 1 on iTunes, displacing the second weekend of “Inside Out 2” (Disney), the biggest hit of 2024.
The Pixar film retains its top spot on Fandango, with the benefit of its $24.99 rental cost putting it in the site’s rankings by revenue rather than transactions like iTunes. In any case, this week’s split decision continues a trend that’s now spanned several months in which no film has been No. 1 on either for two weeks in a row.
After a rare rerun on Netflix, where Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry’s “The Union” starred for two weeks, it was replaced this week by “The Deliverance,” another original film. Lee Daniels’ demonic thriller, with a cast that included Andra Day, Glenn Close and his “Precious” star Mo’Nique, replaced “The Insiders,” a Netflix comedy that landed at No. 1 during the week.
M. Night Shyamalan’s “Trap” (Warner Bros.) performed best among new PVOD releases, coming in at No. 3 on both Fandango and iTunes. The film was released after its fourth weekend in theaters. Eli Roth’s “Borderlands” (Lionsgate) is at No. 4 on Fandango and No. 7 on iTunes after just three weekends. “Harold and the Purple Crayon” (Sony), with an unusual first rental of $9.99, is lower, coming in at No. 8 on iTunes and No. 9 on Fandango.
John Woo’s The Killer, an English-language remake of his Hong Kong action masterpiece streaming on Peacock, is ranked No. 7 on Fandango. Like Peacock, the site is owned by NBC Universal and has exclusive VOD rights.
Older titles debuting on Netflix and gaining more viewers include “Aloha” at No. 2 and “Sonic the Hedgehog” at No. 3. Their in-house sports documentary series “Untold” rounds out their top 10 originals with “Sign Stealer,” currently at No. 8.
A sign that Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (WB) will soon be a big success. The 1988 original, which can be easily watched on Max, is currently number 6 on iTunes (rental price $3.99).
Top 10
iTunes ranks movies daily by number of transactions, while Fandango at Home ranks by revenue. The following listings are for Monday, September 2 (iTunes) and the week of August 26 – September 1 (Fandango).
The distributors listed are current rights holders. All titles are the lowest prices for rental or download.
iTunes
1. Twister (Universal) – $19.99
2. Inside Out 2 (Disney) – $24.99
3. Trap (WB) – $19.99
4. Despicable Me 4 (Universal) – $19.99
5. Long-legged (Neon) – $19.99
6. Beetlejuice(WB) – $4.99
7. Borderland (Lionsgate) – $19.99
8. Harold and the Purple Crayon (Sony) – $9.99
9. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony) – $19.99
10. A Colt for all occasions (Universal) – $5.99
Fandango at home
1. Inside Out 2 (Disney) – $24.99
2. Twisters (Universal) – $19.99
3. Trap (WB) – $19.99
4. Borderland (Lionsgate) – $19.99
5. Long-legged (Neon) – $19.99
6. Despicable Me 4 (Universal) – $19.99
7. The Murderer (Universal) – $19.99
8. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony) – $19.99
9. Harold and the Purple Crayon (Sony) – $9.99
10. A quiet place: day one (Paramount) – $19.99
Netflix Movies
These are the current rankings of the most-watched shows on Netflix’s national daily charts as of Monday, September 2. Originals include both Netflix-produced and acquired titles that debut first in the U.S. Netflix publishes its own worldwide weekly top 10 every Tuesday, based on viewing time., and typically includes films for which the company does not own domestic rights.
1. The liberation (Netflix Original)
2. Aloha (Theatrical release 2015)
3. Sonic the Hedgehog (Theatrical release 2020)
4. The Union (Netflix Original)
5. Migration (Theatrical release 2023)
6. Incoming (Netflix Original)
7. 3:10 to Yuma (Theatrical release 2007)
8. Untold: Sign Thief (Original documentary from Netflix)
9. Emoji – The Movie (Theatrical release 2017)
10. Trolls join forces (Theatrical release 2023)
