Blu-ray Sales: Harry Potter and the Century Mark

January 6, 2012

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 climbed into first place on the Blu-ray sales chart with 232,000 units / $4.63 million over the week for a total of 4.79 million units / $102.50 million after seven weeks of release. It became only the third Blu-ray to reach the $100 million milestone. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was right behind with 231,000 units, but led the way with $5.55 million. After two weeks of release, 907,000 units were sold generating $21.13 million in total revenue. The best new release was Dolphin Tale in third place with 223,000 units / $5.13 million. Its Blu-ray share was 31%, which is better than most live action kids movies manage. The Hangover II slipped a spot to fourth with 205,000 units / $2.72 million over the week for a total of 1.40 million units / $24.33 million. Straw Dogs opened in fifth place with 163,000 units / $3.26 million, giving it a Blu-ray share of 38%. This is better than one would expect for this type of film.

Warrior opened in tenth place with just over 112,000 units earning $2.02 million in the process. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 52%. Granted, the target demographic, MMA fans, is in the same demographic that are most likely to own a high definition setup, but this is still better than expected for the genre. Colombiana was right behind with just under 112,000 units while earning $2.23 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 46%. This is good compared to the format as a whole, but is to be expected for an action film. The final new release to chart was Midnight in Paris, which placed 17th with 70,000 units / $1.41 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 26%, but while this is lower than average for the format, it is better than average for the genre.

The overall Blu-ray market was a little soft as sales fell from last week and were, for the most part, flat from last year. Given the time of year, a decline of 5% in terms of units and 17% in terms of dollars is not bad. The year-over-year decline of 0.5% in terms of units is barely noticeable, while a 11% increase in dollars is noteworthy. DVD sales held on a little better this week, but collapsed when compared to last year. As a result, the overall Blu-ray share was down to 44% in terms of dollars, but remained steady at 34% in terms of units. Last year the overall Blu-ray share was just 22% in terms of units and 25% in terms of dollars, and it is this growth that are the most important numbers when it comes to the health of the format when compared to DVD.

Next week will likely be an even worse week on Blu-ray, as there are no prime releases, again, while the holiday shopping season has ended Final Destination 5 will likely be the best selling Blu-ray for the week, but it is far from a blockbuster release. By comparison, last year's biggest release was Resident Evil: Afterlife, which has a very similar target demographic, but sold about 50% more tickets in theaters. I suspect Final Destination 5's Blu-ray share will be better than Resident Evil: Afterlife was, but that the week will be pretty flat overall.


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Filed under: Video Sales, Straw Dogs, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, The Hangover Part II, Warrior, Dolphin Tale, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Colombiana, Midnight in Paris, Final Destination 5