‘Hit Man’ Debuts at #1 on Netflix as ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Makes a Swift Drop
Something normal happened at Netflix. “Hit Man,” a well-reviewed film from a top director (Richard Linklater) and a hot star (Glen Powell) in an audience-friendly action title, debuted as #1 on the streamer’s top 10 movie list.
Something very weird happened at the same time. “Godzilla Minus One,” which had a long-delayed (six months after theatrical release, almost three months since it won the Visual Effects Oscar) appearance in home formats, made it to #1 both at Netflix and on VOD ($5.99 rental) in its first week. By week two, it fell to #6 at Netflix, while dropping from the top spot at iTunes to #7.
Netflix acquired “Hit Man” for $20 million last year when it premiered at Venice and Toronto to great interest. Reviewed (82 Metacritic) at the level or ahead of most of the streamer’s late-year awards-bait films, the action comedy about a moonlighting professor working undercover for New Orleans police has been #1 for the last three days. Unlike most Netflix originals, does it have staying power? (Most recent example: “Atlas” with Jennifer Lopez was #1 for eight days, but is gone from the top 10 after two weeks.)
We don’t yet have Netflix numbers for “Godzilla.” Reelgood, which measures audience usage, cites it as the #1 movie streamed during their most recent week covered.
Why did it fall so quickly? Maybe it exhausted its fanbase; simultaneous availability on VOD is another factor. (For Netflix subscribers, watching for free seems an obvious choice.) The film‘s $56 million domestic box office was terrific, but less so compared to many bigger hits. Also, the film is subtitled or dubbed. While that’s not unusual for a Netflix presentation, it can be offputting; so was the English dubbing. (It was reminiscent of the classic Godzilla films of the 1950s and 1960s.) Perhaps the most obvious reason: “Gozilla Minus One” may have been hurt by its delayed release, rather than taking advantage of the attention it received months ago.
On both iTunes and Fandango (which ranks by revenue, hurting a $5.99 rental’s ranking), it trails “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which still rents for $19.99. The Warner Bros. film is #2 at Fandango, #3 at iTunes. “Minus One” is #6 at Fandango.
Returning to #1 at iTunes while retaining that position at Fandango, “Civil War” (A24) is proving itself to be a very strong home release in its third week. It is outpacing “The Fall Guy” (Universal), which was released after its third weekend in theaters. The Ryan Gosling-starring film is #2 at iTunes, #4 at Fandango.
New this week on the charts are “The Stranger: Chapter 1” (Lionsgate), #3 at Fandango, #8 at iTunes, and “Back to Black” (Focus) #9 at Fandango.
Two other Netflix originals rank in their top five. “Under Paris,” a French thriller about a shark in the Seine (that’s where it’s spotted) and starring Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”), was #1 midweek, now second. “How to Rob a Bank,” a documentary about a surfer turned Seattle bank robber in the 1990s, is #5.
The top studio release is “Wonder” at #3, with four of the top 10 (led by “Home” #4) animated films.
Top 10s
iTunes ranks films daily by number of transactions, while Fandango at Home lists by revenue. The listings below are for Monday, June 10.
The distributors listed are current rights owners. Prices for all titles are for lowest for either rental or download.
iTunes
1. Civil War (A24) – $19.99
2. The Fall Guy (Universal) – $19.99
3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (WB) – $19.99
4. Dune: Part Two (WB) – $5.99
5. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Lionsgate) – $19.99
6. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) – $19.99
7. Godzilla Minus One (Toho) – $5.99
8. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (Lionsgate) – $19.99
9. Arthur the King (Lionsgate) – $5.99
10. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Lionsgate) – $5.99
Fandango at Home
1. Civil War (A24) – $19.99
2. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (WB) – $19.99
3. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (Lionsgate) – $19.99
4. The Fall Guy (Universal) – $19.99
5. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) – $19.99
6. Godzilla Minus One (Toho) – $19.99
7. Tarot (Sony) – $9.99
8. Dune: Part Two (WB) – $5.99
9. Back to Black (Focus) – $19.99
10. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Lionsgate) – $19.99
Netflix Movies
These are the most-viewed, current rankings on Netflix’s domestic daily chart on Monday, June 10. Originals include both Netflix-produced and acquired titles it initially presents in the U.S. Netflix publishes its own worldwide weekly top 10 on Tuesdays based on time viewed.
1. Hit Man (2024 Netflix original)
2. Under Paris (2024 French Netflix original)
3. Wonder (2017 theatrical release)
4. Home (2015 theatrical release)
5. How to Rob a Bank (2024 Netflix documentary original)
6. Crazy Rich Asians (2018 theatrical release)
7. Godzilla Minus One (2023 theatrical release)
8. The LEGO Movie (2014 theatrical release)
9. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023 theatrical release)
10. Shrek (2001 theatrical release)
