Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

International Round Up: Onward Leads Taiwan, Box Office Moves Upward, Cineworld Eyes July for Reopening

May 28th, 2020

Cineworld announced tentative plans to reopen all 790 theaters they operate in 11 markets in July. This would be great news for the movie industry, if it happens. The cinema chain is the biggest in the US domestic market, but it is also a major player in Europe. There are still several major markets in Europe with tens of thousands of active cases of COVID-19, including the U.K., France, Spain, Italy, so it remains uncertain whether their full plans will come to fruition. If this works, then it will be a big boost to morale as it is a concrete sign things are returning to normal. If there’s a second wave and cinemas have to be shut down again, like what happened in China, then it could be devastating. As for this week’s box office numbers, there is not a lot to talk about, but what we few numbers we have are mostly positive. More...

Theater Averages: First Cow Comes Home

March 12th, 2020

First Cow was one of two films in the $10,000 club earning an average of $20,331 in four theaters. The Booksellers was the only other member of the $10,000 club opening with $15,794 in its lone theater. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Onward on the Outs

March 10th, 2020

It was a bad weekend at the box office. There’s really no way to spin this in a positive way. Onward opened just below the low end of predictions with just $39.12 million. The Way Back couldn’t make up the difference, as it only managed $8.17 million. The overall box office was up 2.0% from last weekend at just over $100 million. Sadly, this was 52% lower than the same weekend last year when Captain Marvel debuted. I don’t think anyone truly thought 2020 would win this weekend in the year-over-year competition. However, I don’t think many thought it would lose this badly. In fact, 2020 has slipped below 2019’s pace by 1.3% or $22 million at $1.68 billion to $1.70 billion. This is a disaster. More...

Theater Averages: Frances has a Saintly Start

March 6th, 2020

Saint Frances was the only new release to land in the $10,000 club opening with $14,298 in one theater. The re-release of Come and See continued to do well earning $12,859, also in one theater. Emma expanded into nearly 100 theaters earning an average of $11,955 along the way. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Invisible Man first Horror Film Truly Seen by Audiences

March 3rd, 2020

It has not been a good year for horror films so far, but The Invisible Man broke the slump by earning first place over the weekend with $28.21 million. It is already the biggest horror hit of the year after just three days of release. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough, as the overall box office fell 4.2% from last weekend to $98 million. Worse still, this was 14% lower than the same weekend last year. Granted, 2020 is still ahead of 2019, so there is no reason to panic. In fact, thanks to weekday numbers, the lead has grown to $116 million / 8.1% at $1.55 billion to $1.43 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Invisible Man Appears at Top of Chart

March 1st, 2020

The Invisible Man will debut this weekend with $29 million, according to Universal’s Sunday morning projection. That’s enough to make it the highest-grossing horror movie of 2020 after just three days in release, and is well ahead of predictions. The result is helped considerably by strong reviews, with the film earning a B+ from CinemaScore, and a 90% critics’ score and 89% audience score from Rotten Tomatoes. More...

Friday Estimates: Invisible Man Makes Its Presence Felt

February 29th, 2020

The Invisible Man opened with $9.8 million on Friday, which means it is the sixth-biggest horror film released in 2020 so far after just one day in theaters. It is projected to be in first place by the end of the weekend with $26 million, topping predictions, albeit by a very small margin. The film’s reviews remain excellent and it earned a B plus from CinemaScore. That is stellar, for a horror movie. It would be okay for an action movie and terrible for a family film / faith-based release, but it is amazing for a horror film. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Hero or Zero?

February 28th, 2020

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising is easily the biggest limited release on this week’s chart. Also, its reviews are really good. Hopefully it won’t be the only box office hit on this week’s list, but I fear it could be. There are several films like Blood On Her Name, Saint Frances, and more with impressive Tomatometer Scores, but less impressive average ratings, so maybe they are better fits for the home market. More...