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.

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for December 31st, 2013

December 29th, 2013

This Tuesday is New Years Eve, so it should come as no surprise that there are almost no new releases worth talking about. In fact, it is arguably weaker than last week, because last week had Insidious Chapter 2, which was a big hit for a September release. This week the biggest, and best, new release is Don Jon, which earned amazing reviews, but failed to make an impact at the box office. There are almost no extras on the DVD, but the Blu-ray has several exclusive extras and it is the Pick of the Week. It's not the only new release that is worth checking out, but it is close to the other new release that is worth checking out. More...

Limited Releases: God Loves Limited Releases

October 11th, 2013

The headline might claim God loves limited releases, but it is clear the critics don't. There are more than a dozen limited releases on this week's list, but many of them are earning reviews that are weak, or much, much worse. God Loves Uganda is practically the lone exception, as it is earning perfect reviews. Unfortunately, it's a documentary, so its chances of expanding significantly are very limited. On the other hand, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete might be the breakout hit of the week. Its reviews are not as good, but good enough to suggest it will find an audience, but it is opening in more than 100 theaters, which might be too many. More...