Resident Evil is leading the video-on-demand charts on iTunes, according to the latest VOD roundup published on November 9 — a strong second act for a film that has already taken nearly $160 million in cinemas. The film tops the iTunes ranking, which tracks by daily transactions, while on Fandango at Home, which tracks by revenue, it sits second behind Silent Night, Deadly Night, according to the europesays report on the week’s home-viewing charts.
The theatrical run, meanwhile, is winding down gracefully. The film took $1,272,394 this weekend, down 50.1 percent, from 1,125 theatres, according to Box Office Mojo — and its running total now stands at $159,694,135 after eight weeks. It is the 16th-biggest film of the weekend, a long way from the top ten, but the total is what matters: nearly $160 million from a horror release that has now found a second audience at home.
A horror hit with two lives
The VOD chart is where horror films often do their best work. Audiences who did not catch a film in cinemas will rent it at home, and a title with a strong theatrical total tends to convert well. Resident Evil’s position at the top of the iTunes VOD ranking, eight weeks into its run, suggests the film’s audience is still growing — just in a different room.
The roundup also notes that “Musk” ranks in one of the week’s top tens, a reminder that the VOD charts are a crowded marketplace where documentaries, horror and family films all compete for the same rental. Resident Evil’s lead on iTunes is the headline — even as Silent Night, Deadly Night leads the Fandango at Home chart.
Nearing $160 million
The theatrical total of $159,694,135 leaves the film just over $300,000 short of $160 million — a mark it is likely to pass in the coming days, even as its screen count falls. The film has been in cinemas for eight weeks, and its weekend gross has now dropped by half, but the long tail of the run has been generous: it has taken more than $1.2 million this weekend alone, in its eighth frame.
For a horror film, that is a strong result. The genre’s theatrical runs are usually short and sharp. Resident Evil has had both — a big opening and a long, steady run — and now an iTunes chart-topper to finish with.
