While there are no numbers being made available, Universal said Monday morning that Trolls World Tour scored the biggest digital debut of all time over Easter weekend.
The studio decided to break theatrical windows and make the DreamWorks Animation title available to rent on premium VOD for 48 hours for $19.99 after virtually all theaters closed across the U.S. — save for a smattering of drive-ins — and much of the world due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. (The movie was also made available to cinemas that are still open, although Universal isn’t reporting grosses.)
Trolls World Tour secured the the biggest opening day and opening weekend ever for any digital title, according to Universal insiders.
Among Universal titles, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom previously held the crown for biggest opening day. Insiders say Trolls did 10 times more business on its opening day.
Trolls World Tour was the No. 1 title across all major on-demand platforms, topping expectations on digital distributors including Amazon, Comcast, Apple, Vudu, Google/YouTube, DirecTV and FandangoNOW.
Universal is hoping the test will help answer the question of how much consumers are willing to pay to watch a high-profile new movie in their homes.
Theater owners have denounced Universal’s decision to break the theatrical window, arguing that a film’s home entertainment potential is based on a high-profile run in theaters that generally lasts three months — but some Wall Street analysts aren’t as quick to judge.
Unlike box office grosses, home entertainment numbers for individual titles aren’t disclosed. It isn’t yet clear whether Universal will share any information it collects in the coming days.
