Anne Hathaway's dinosaur film lost money in cinemas — a month later it is ahead of Moana on digital
The End of Oak Street cost up to $92 million and took $120.6 million, then went straight to number one on Fandango.
So here's a good one: Anne Hathaway stars in a dinosaur family adventure called The End of Oak Street, which pretty much limped through cinemas last month, yet it has now managed to leap straight to the top of the digital streaming charts. If you ever needed proof that a film's box office receipts aren't the last word on its popularity, this is it.
The End of Oak Street hit the #1 spot on Fandango's digital charts for the week of 14–20 September, beating out all the big studio competition.
From cinemas to streams
Let's get the numbers out of the way: The End of Oak Street arrived in UK and US cinemas on 14 August and, despite mostly decent critical chatter, it floundered financially. The film cost somewhere between $80 and $92 million to make and scraped together a global total of $120.6 million. So, once the dust settles and the studios take their share, it didn't actually turn a profit while it was on the big screen. If you were wondering, that is not how these films are meant to go, especially one with Hathaway leading the cast and a high-concept hook like 'family vs dinosaurs'.
Here's where things get more interesting. The moment The End of Oak Street dropped onto premium digital release, it found a new surge of life. According to Fandango, it went straight in at number one for the week just gone, knocking Disney's seemingly eternal Moana and the internet-horror darling Backrooms down a notch. Somehow, the streaming crowd have decided this is the film they want to watch — presumably with children, nostalgia, or a morbid curiosity about why few turned up at the cinemas.
What else is trending?
Just for the record, here’s how Fandango’s Top 10 digital movies list looked on the same week, with some oddities alongside the usual suspects:
- The End of Oak Street
- Moana
- Backrooms
- Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Complete Series
- Mutiny
- Toy Story 5
- Evil Dead Burn
- The Rivals of Amziah King
- Minions & Monsters
- Tony
Read more: Universal is running Anne Hathaway for Best Supporting Actress — against her own Odyssey co-star
I don't know about you, but it's not every week that a box office disappointment full of dinosaurs creeps ahead of both Pixar sequels and cult sci-fi in a streaming chart.
Cast, plot and the critical take
This one’s both written and directed by David Robert Mitchell (yes, the bloke behind It Follows). The story: the Platt family — played by Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery — watch their perfectly ordinary neighbourhood get dropped into some Jurassic fever dream, forcing them to outrun dinosaurs and generally try not to get eaten while they search for a way home. There’s a competent supporting group in Jordan Alexa Davis, P. J. Byrne, Hudson Meek, Anne Gee Byrd, and Emily Kuroda.
Critics didn’t pan it, either. On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s currently sitting at an 86% Tomatometer score, with a 76% audience rating (Popcornmeter if you care for the branding). Not quite a classic, but far from a flop in quality terms, even if the ticket sales suggested otherwise.
What's next for Hathaway
If dinosaur blockbusters aren’t really her thing — jury’s out — Anne Hathaway is already lined up for another grown-up project. She’s heading straight into Verity, a psychological thriller with a hefty dose of erotic tension, set to co-star Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. At the very least, you can’t accuse her of sticking to the same roles every year.