Steve Deace’s ‘Nefarious’ Rakes In More Money On VOD Than In Its Theatrical Run, Described By Distributor As “Biggest Release To Date”
John F. Trent
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Mill Creek Entertainment announced that Nefarious, the supernatural thriller, from Blaze TV personality Steve Deace and Soli Deo Gloria Releasing raked in more money in VOD than in its entire theatrical run.
Nefarious Film Poster
The distribution company announced the film grossed $7 million in digital revenue since June 2, 2023 when it was released through various Premium VOD distributors such as iTunes, Google, and Amazon.
That’s over $1.5 million more than what the film grossed in its theatrical run. It brought in $5.4 million at the domestic box office earlier this year when it was released in April.
Sean Patrick Flanery as Nefarious in Nefarious
Alliance Entertainment CEO Jeff Walker commented on the success of the film’s VOD release, “Nefarious is our biggest release to date and the digital sales we managed on this title was just exceptional.”
Walker added, “In addition to our state-of-the-art physical distribution operations, we have built a robust digital video platform that can support great movies like Nefarious that provided Believe Entertainment with a complete physical and digital distribution solution.”
Jordan Belfi as Dr. James Martin in Nefarious
The strategy of Nefarious bringing in more on VOD compared to its theatrical release was always part of the film’s distribution model.
Deace spoke to Bounding Into Comics in April saying, “This is where the industry has dramatically changed since Covid unless you are a major budget event film like a Maverick or a Marvel film. The old model of the theatrical was, you know, where you money was made in DVDs and VCR [if] you remember those days. It’s different now.”
He explained, “Now, unless you are a major market film the theatrical release is basically the marketing release for the streaming, VOD platforms.”
Deace then shared the example of The Old Way starring Nicolas Cage, “There was a Nicolas Cage western came out earlier this year. It was in like theaters for 10 minutes. Nobody saw it…But I mean this film is like freaking printed money in VOD. Because people saw the poster in movie theaters, saw the trailer in theaters. That’s how they heard about it and so they’re like, ‘Eh.. that looks like something I can wait to buy when it comes out on streaming.’
Sean Patrick Flanery as Edward Wayne Brady/Nefarious in Nefarious
He then declared, “And that’s the new model. In February, nine of the top ten VOD movies in the country all had theatrical releases. So for a horror film like ours… the model is the theatrical release is actually now the marketing for the other platforms that will come later.”
“I know it’s weird, our people still buy a crap ton of DVDs. Believe Entertainment sold like 2 million DVDs of Unplanned in 2019. Our people still buy a lot of DVDs,” he asserted.
Jordan Belfi as Dr. James Martin in Nefarious (2023)
Nefarious will see a Blue-Ray and DVD release this month. Mill Creek Entertainment announced the film arrives on both Blu-ray and DVD on August 15 and will be available at “major U.S. and Canadian retailers and e-commerce sties including Walmart, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Amazon.”
Mill Creek Entertainment revealed in the press release the Blu-ray and DVD release is the company’s “top-ranking Amazon pre-order on DVD and Blu-ray. Initial placement of over 50,000 units to cover heavy projected demand for the physical copy of this great movie. The DVD and Blu-ray™ will be available to over 10,000 brick and mortar storefronts serviced by Alliance Entertainment.”
Sean Patrick Flanery as Edward Wayne Brady/ Nefarious and Jordan Belfi as Dr. James Martin in Nefarious (2023)
Nefarious is based of Deace’s book A Nefarious Plot. It stars Sean Patrick Flanery as Edward Wayne Brady/Nefarious and Jordan Belfi as Dr. James Martin. It also features Tom Ohmer, Eric Hansen, Stelio Savante, Robert Peters, and Cameron Arnett with a cameo by Glenn Beck.
The official synopsis states, “On the day of his scheduled execution, [Edward Wayne Brady] gets a last-minute, court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. The killer astonishes visiting psychiatrist Dr. James Martin by insisting that instead of trying to avoid his execution, he is in fact a demon – Nefarious – who wants his execution to go forward.”
It concludes, “As a storm gathers outside the prison, Nefarious chips away at Dr. Martin’s resolve and conviction, confounding and unsettling him so much that he begins to doubt his own sanity and fears for his life. As the two face off, they deliver crackling energy and a series of disturbing preternatural revelations propelling them to an inexorable, astounding conclusion.”
Jordan Belfi as Dr. James Martin and Tom Ohmer as Warden Moss in Nefarious (2023)
What do you make of Nefarious’ success on VOD?
NEXT: ‘Nefarious’ (2023) Review – A Thought-Provoking Supernatural Horror Exercise In Morality