M+E Daily

Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” has seen a noticeable increase in demand on FandangoNOW, Walmart’s Vudu and Apple’s iTunes streaming services, in optical disc sales and in theatrical ticket sales since winning four Oscars, including best picture, best international film, best director (Ho) and best original screenplay (also Ho) Feb. 9.

For example, Vudu saw “increased demand for many titles following the Oscars,” led by “Parasite,” a Vudu spokeswoman told the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA).

Also, the morning after the Oscars, the film was listed as the No. 1 streaming movie title on iTunes. Two nights later, demand was still strong, although it had dipped to No. 2.

The Blu-ray of “Parasite” was also listed as the best-selling movie and TV title on Amazon’s rankings the morning after the Oscars. Two nights later, demand remained strong, although the optical disc title had dipped to No. 2.

There has also been a major boost in Fandango ticket sales for the movie since Oscars night and Fandango’s on-demand streaming service, FandangoNOW, is also reporting an uptick for the title since the Oscar ceremony.

On Feb. 10, the darkly comic thriller was the No. 1 streaming title on FandangoNOW and the No. 3 title in Fandango’s daily ticket sales, according to Fandango.

Fandango looked at “Parasite” sales on Feb. 3 (the Monday before the Oscars) and compared them to “Parasite” sales on Feb. 10 (the Monday after the Oscars) and saw the following Oscar-related bumps: “Parasite” rentals and purchases on FandangoNOW soared 468% week over week, while ticket sales jumped 443% week over week, the company said.

“‘Parasite’ is seeing a remarkable uptick in sales on Fandango and on FandangoNOW,” according to Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis.

“Fans across the globe erupted in joy online when ‘Parasite’ received the Oscar for Best Picture, the first film not in the English language to win in that category,” he told MESA.

“It was without a doubt the happiest surprise of Oscar night, and with so many layers of the film to unpack, movie lovers are re-watching Bong Joon Ho’s masterpiece over and over again,” he said, adding: “It makes sense that cinema lovers are renting and buying ‘Parasite’ on FandangoNOW, as many are enjoying repeat viewings of the film.”

Fandango was also “seeing a number of fans checking out Bong’s previous films” on the company’s streaming service, including  a $7.99 “Binge Bundle” of three of his previous films — “The Host,” “Mother” and “Barking Dogs Never Bite,” — plus his critically acclaimed film “Snowpiercer,” starring Chris Pine and Tilda Swinton, Davis said.

“Parasite” was still playing at a limited number of U.S. theaters Oscars weekend and is expanding to about 2,000 locations this weekend, Fandango pointed out.

In a Fandango survey of Oscar watchers, 73% of moviegoers said they would watch or re-watch a movie after it won an Academy Award. In the same poll, a majority of the fans (54%) claimed the multiple “Parasite” wins represented the “happiest surprise” of Oscar night.

Meanwhile, Oscar-winning 20^th Century Fox drama “Ford v Ferrari” was new on VOD Feb. 11 and was doing well initially, Fandango reported. That movie was nominated for four Oscars, including best picture and sound mixing, and won for best editing and sound editing. “Ford v Ferrari,” meanwhile, was No. 3 on iTunes the night of Feb. 12

Other Oscar-winning movies were also very popular on iTunes and at Amazon.com the night of Feb. 12. Best Picture nominee “Joker” from Warner, which won for best actor (Joaquin Phoenix) and music score, was No. 4 on iTunes. On Amazon, the Blu-ray was No. 3, the Ultra HD Blu-ray version was No. 6 and the DVD was No. 13.

Best Picture nominee “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” from Sony, which won for best supporting actor (Brad Pitt) and production design, was No. 5 on iTunes. On Amazon, the Blu-ray was No. 9, the DVD was No. 22 and the UHD Blu-ray was No. 26.

Best Picture nominee “Jojo Rabbit” from Fox Searchlight, which won for best adapted screenplay, was No. 8 on iTunes.

And “Judy” from LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, which won for best actress (Renee Zellweger) was No. 9 on iTunes. On Amazon, the Blu-ray was No. 28, while the DVD was No. 45.

The “top five titles that saw the biggest uptick in transactions on Vudu” following the Oscars also included “Judy,” “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” Paramount’s best original song winner “Rocketman” and “Joker,” the Vudu spokeswoman said.