Blu-ray Sales: Priest Pulls out the Win
September 1, 2011
Despite only managing fourth place on the DVD sales chart this week, Priest opened on top of the Blu-ray sales chart with 187,000 units / $4.24 million. Its opening Blu-ray ratio was 49% and this is great news for upcoming summer blockbusters, as it suggests they could break 50%.
Rio slipped to second place with 152,000 units / $3.09 million for the week and 1.44 million units / $31.75 million after three. The next best new release was The Big Lebowski, which opened with 91,000 units / $1.54 million. That's a great start for a catalog title. Dexter: Season Five opened in fourth place with 62,000 units / $2.35 million. On the one hand, its opening Blu-ray ratio was just 16%, which is very low compared to the format as a whole. On the other hand, TV on DVD releases tend to lag behind on High Definition. Paul just managed to hang onto the final spot in the top five with 54,000 units / $1.12 million over the week and 282,000 units / $5.83 million after two.
Something Borrowed just missed the top five with 50,000 units / $1.12 million. It's opening Blu-ray ratio was 19%, which is what you would expect for a drama. Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil was further back in ninth place with 30,000 units / $745,000, giving it a opening Blu-ray ratio of 31%. It was certainly second-tier animation, so its strength on Blu-ray is a little surprising. The Conspirator debuted in 16th place with 21,000 units / $423,000 giving it a opening Blu-ray ratio of 25%. That's pretty good for a drama, especially for a film that struggled during its theatrical run. Jane Eyre earned 18th place with 19,000 units / $430,000 for a Blu-ray ratio of just 18%. For a limited release and a drama, this isn't a bad start.
Total Blu-ray sales slipped from last week, down 17% in terms of units and 21% in terms of dollars. On the other hand, compared last year, Blu-ray sales soared by 153% in terms of units and 125% in terms of dollars. DVD sales were down considerably from last year, but held on a little better compared to last week, thanks in part to TV on DVD sales. The overall Blu-ray ratio remained 32% in terms of units, but fell to 37% in terms of dollars.
Looking ahead, next week's selection of Blu-rays are weak, really weak, even compared to the same week last year. Overall growth in the market will prevent year-over-year declines in Blu-ray sales, but I don't expect much in the way of good news.
Filed under: Video Sales, The Big Lebowski, Priest, Rio, Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil, Paul, The Conspirator, Something Borrowed, Jane Eyre