Official Charts Company announces the Official Film Rental Chart

This week, as the Official Film Chart celebrates its 100th edition, we're excited to announce the world’s first monthly digital rental chart, showcasing the films audiences are renting from video on demand services alongside the Official Film Chart’s view of what audiences are buying to keep.

The new service will provide the first Video-On-Demand (VOD) chart service in the world, based on data from digital retailers including Amazon, Apple, Rakuten, Sky Store and Talk Talk TV, with the service supported by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) in tandem with UK video trade body the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE).

Check out this week’s Official Film Chart

The launch of the inaugural chart follows a period of accelerated growth in rental activity during the COVID-19 lockdown, with data for the first half of 2020 showing an average of 600,000 rentals per week before lockdown, rising to more than 1m rentals a week after lockdown was implemented. During the two weeks leading up to lockdown, pandemic-themed thriller Contagion (2011) was the most rented title in the UK.

More than 21 million rental transactions were made in the first six months of 2020. Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix was the most popular title with over 600,000 rental transactions up to June 30, leading its closest competition Jumanji: The Next Level by 150,000 rentals. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out lands at Number 3 in the half-year chart.

The monthly Official Film Rental Chart will be published in the middle of each month, beginning in October.

The Official Film Rental Chart – January-June 2020

© Official Charts Company 2020