A lot has been made of Universal’s reporting that Trolls World Tour earned an estimated $95 million from PVOD rentals in its first 19 days of availability. The studio claims this is a record for a PVOD release. While the headlines are eye-catching, the story they tell reflects only part of the film’s total earning potential.
For a variety of reasons, comparisons between a traditional release and one that forgoes cinemas entirely aren’t one-to-one. The unique market situation currently taking place, with families around the world confined to their homes with little new content available, means that Trolls World Tour’s performance does not reflect the typical nature of a competitive market.