DVD Rentals - New Releases Barely Haunt the Top 30

March 11, 2009

There were only three new releases to reach the top 30 this past week on the rental chart, and only one of those reached the top five. This left Body of Lies in first place, again close to 20% ahead of the second place film, Changeling. Nights in Rodanthe was just ahead of the best new release of the week, The Haunting of Molly Hartley. Given the latter's performance on the sales chart this week, this was a "try before you buy" phenomenon. Rounding out the top five was Quarantine.

What Just Happened? opened in eighth place despite missing the top 30 on the sales chart; another "try before you buy" instance. Finally, Sex Drive opened in 18th place.

Overall the rental market plummeted to $161.5 million, which is 18% lower than last week and 12% lower than the same weekend last year. Again, there were issues here (including the massive DVD sales) that helped push rentals lower, but it is becoming a worrisome trend.

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Filed under: Video Sales, Nights in Rodanthe, Body of Lies, Changeling, Quarantine, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, Sex Drive, What Just Happened