Teen vampires, caped crusaders and giant, shape-shifting robots all stepped aside last week as James Cameron’s box office smash “Avatar” continued to set new records – this time on the home entertainment front.
According to Nielsen’s VideoScan First Alert data for the Week Ending 04/25/2010, “Avatar” sold more Blu-ray disc units in its first week of release than any other movie in history. 49% of total unit sales for “Avatar” were generated by the Blu-ray/DVD combo disc with the remaining sales coming from the DVD – a significantly higher Blu-ray ratio than any other major release to date.
VideoScan First Alert does not include sales from Walmart, Sam’s Club, grocery or drug retailers. Sales from most other retailers are included.
Previously “The Dark Knight” was the front-runner in Week 1 Blu-ray disc sales after grossing over $500 million at the box office and releasing on DVD and Blu-ray just prior to Christmas in 2008, but “Avatar” soared past “The Dark Knight” by a significant margin.
| RANK | Title | Release Year | Sales Index | % of Sales that are Blu-ray |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avatar | 2010 | 100 | 49%* |
| 2 | The Dark Knight | 2008 | 62 | 22% |
| 3 | The Hangover | 2009 | 40 | 24% |
| 4 | Star Trek (2009) | 2009 | 34 | 37% |
| 5 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | 2009 | 33 | 24%* |
| 6 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | 2009 | 33 | 26% |
| 7 | Iron Man | 2008 | 28 | 17% |
| 8 | Up | 2009 | 24 | 24%* |
| 9 | Inglourious Basterds | 2009 | 23 | 33% |
| 10 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 2009 | 23 | 100%** |
| Source: The Nielsen Company
Sales Index Example: In Week 1 of its release, “The Dark Knight” sold 62% as many Blu-ray units as “Avatar” sold during the first week of its release. VideoScan First Alert does not include sales from Walmart, Sam’s Club, grocery or drug retailers. Sales from most other retailers are included. Data shown above include disc and VHS sales. * Indicates that some or all Blu-ray unit sales came from Blu-ray/DVD combo discs. ** Snow White was released on Blu-ray/DVD combo disc. There was no DVD item available during Week 1 of this release. |
Those who were monitoring the excitement for “Avatar” over the past few weeks had every indication that consumers were going to flood retailers for the Earth Day release. Total positive purchase interest for “Avatar” among active DVD and Blu-ray buyers, a measure tracked by Nielsen for all major movie releases, matched the all-time high set by “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” back in 2005. Nielsen’s online intelligence revealed that internet buzz for “Avatar” also ramped up last week, especially on home entertainment enthusiast sites like Blu-ray.com and AVSforum.com, as well as on Facebook.
With its combined Blu-ray and DVD sales, “Avatar” is the #7 movie of all time in terms of Week 1 unit sales for all formats according to VideoScan First Alert data. “Finding Nemo,” released on DVD and VHS in 2003, remains the top overall Week 1 seller.
| RANK | Title | Release Year | Sales Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finding Nemo | 2003 | 100 |
| 2 | The Dark Knight | 2008 | 82 |
| 3 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | 2006 | 80 |
| 4 | The Incredibles | 2005 | 77 |
| 5 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | 2003 | 77 |
| 6 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | 2003 | 68 |
| 7 | Avatar | 2010 | 61 |
| 8 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | 2006 | 60 |
| 9 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | 2004 | 57 |
| 10 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe | 2006 | 56 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company
VideoScan First Alert does not include sales from Walmart, Sam’s Club, grocery or drug retailers. Sales from most other retailers are included. Total unit sales for all titles shown are indexed against Finding Nemo. Data shown above include disc and VHS sales. |
Time will tell how “Avatar” will ultimately rank among the top home movie releases of all time. With a follow-up 4-Disc Ultimate Edition Blu-ray release slated for November 2010 and the 3D Blu-ray release planned for early 2011, the Blu-ray story for “Avatar” is far from over. For now, the Week 1 success of “Avatar” is affirmation of the growing enthusiasm for Blu-ray movies among consumers.
