Franchises—through sequels, prequels, and remakes—dominated the entertainment scene in 2013. This year’s three best-selling DVDs—Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (part of the Lord of the Rings series), and Skyfall (part of the James Bond series)—were all part of established series. At the same time, consumers across video gaming formats—Xbox 360, PS3, and PC—clamored for Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty: Ghosts, both of which are the latest games in two major franchises.
Book sales were also influenced by people eager to continue the story. Adults gobbled up Inferno (the latest in Dan Brown’s series that includes the best seller The Da Vinci Code) and The Great Gatsby (a reprint of the 1925 novel), the best-selling fiction books. And kids were no different—Jeff Kinney’s seventh (The Third Wheel) and eighth (Hard Luck) books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise were the third and first best-selling children’s books, respectively. The second best-selling children’s book was The House of Hades (the fourth book in Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series).
The only entertainment sector not to see a series top the chart was adult non-fiction, where religious-themed books held the top three spots.
Top 10 DVD/Blu-ray Titles of 2013
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 | Lionsgate | 3/2/2013 |
| 2 | Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Warner Home Video | 3/19/2013 |
| 3 | Skyfall | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment | 2/12/2013 |
| 4 | Wreck-It Ralph | Disney/Buena Vista Home Video | 3/5/2013 |
| 5 | Monsters University | Disney/Buena Vista Home Video | 10/29/2013 |
| 6 | Hotel Transylvania | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | 1/29/2013 |
| 7 | Rise of the Guardians | Paramount Home Entertainment | 3/12/2013 |
| 8 | Iron Man 3 | Disney/Buena Vista Home Video | 9/24/2013 |
| 9 | Croods | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment | 10/1/2013 |
| 10 | Star Trek Into Darkness | Paramount Home Entertainment | 9/10/2013 |
| Source: Nielsen. Data from Dec. 31, 2012-Dec. 1, 2013. Based on Aggregate disc unit sales (DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray/DVD Combo packs, etc.). |
Top 10 Print Books of 2013 – Adult Fiction
| Rank | Title (Format) | Author | Publisher | Publish Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | INFERNO (Hardcover) | DAN BROWN | DOUBLEDAY BOOKS | 5/1/2013 |
| 2 | THE GREAT GATSBY (Trade Paperback) | F. SCOTT FITZGERALD | SCRIBNER BOOK COMPANY | 10/1/2004 |
| 3 | FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (Trade Paperback) | E. L. JAMES | VINTAGE BOOKS | 4/1/2012 |
| 4 | AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED (Hardcover) | KHALED HOSSEINI | RIVERHEAD BOOKS | 5/1/2013 |
| 5 | SYCAMORE ROW (Hardcover) | JOHN GRISHAM | DOUBLEDAY BOOKS | 10/1/2013 |
| 6 | DOCTOR SLEEP (Hardcover) | STEPHEN KING | SCRIBNER BOOK COMPANY | 9/1/2013 |
| 7 | GONE GIRL (Hardcover) | GILLIAN FLYNN | CROWN PUBLISHING GROUP (NY) | 6/1/2012 |
| 8 | THE LONGEST RIDE (Hardcover) | NICHOLAS SPARKS | GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING | 9/1/2013 |
| 9 | FIFTY SHADES DARKER (Trade Paperback) | E. L. JAMES | VINTAGE BOOKS | 4/1/2012 |
| 10 | JOYLAND (Trade Paperback) | STEPHEN KING | HARD CASE CRIME | 6/1/2013 |
| Source: Nielsen. Data from Dec. 31, 2012-Dec. 8, 2013. Nielsen BookScan’s U.S. Consumer Market Panel currently covers approximately 85% of the print book market and continues to grow. As of January 2013, BookScan includes sales from Wal-Mart. |
Top 10 Print Books of 2013 – Adult Non-Fiction
| Rank | Title | Author | Publisher | Publish Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PROOF OF HEAVEN (Trade Paperback) | ALEXANDER EBEN | SIMON & SCHUSTER | 10/1/2012 |
| 2 | KILLING JESUS (Hardcover) | BILL O’REILLY | HENRY HOLT & COMPANY | 9/1/2013 |
| 3 | JESUS CALLING (Hardcover) | SARAH YOUNG | THOMAS NELSON PUBLISHERS | 10/1/2004 |
| 4 | LEAN IN (Hardcover) | SHERYL SANDBERG | KNOPF PUBLISHING GROUP | 3/1/2013 |
| 5 | HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY (Hardcover) | PHIL ROBERTSON | HOWARD BOOKS | 5/1/2013 |
| 6 | STRENGTHS FINDER 2.0 (Hardcover) | TOM RATH | GALLUP PRESS | 2/1/2007 |
| 7 | SI-COLOGY 1 (Hardcover) | SI ROBERTSON | HOWARD BOOKS | 9/1/2013 |
| 8 | THE DUCK COMMANDER FAMILY (Hardcover) | WILLIE ROBERTSON | HOWARD BOOKS | 10/1/2012 |
| 9 | THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES (Trade Paperback) | GARY CHAPMAN | NORTHFIELD PRESS | 12/1/2009 |
| 10 | AMERICAN SNIPER (Mass Market Paperback) | CHRIS KYLE | HARPER | 1/1/2013 |
| Source: Nielsen. Data from Dec. 31, 2012-Dec. 8, 2013. Nielsen BookScan’s U.S. Consumer Market Panel currently covers approximately 85% of the print book market and continues to grow. As of January 2013, BookScan includes sales from Wal-Mart. |
Top 10 Print Books of 2013 – Children and Young Adults
| Rank | Title | Author | Publisher | Publish Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HARD LUCK (Hardcover) | JEFF KINNEY | AMULET BOOKS | 11/1/2013 |
| 2 | THE HOUSE OF HADES (Hardcover) | RICK RIORDAN | DISNEY PRESS | 10/1/2013 |
| 3 | THE THIRD WHEEL (Hardcover) | JEFF KINNEY | AMULET BOOKS | 11/1/2012 |
| 4 | DIVERGENT (Trade Paperback) | VERONICA ROTH | KATHERINE TEGEN BOOKS | 2/1/2012 |
| 5 | THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (Hardcover) | JOHN GREEN | DUTTON BOOKS | 1/1/2012 |
| 6 | ALLEGIANT (Hardcover) | VERONICA ROTH | KATHERINE TEGEN BOOKS | 10/1/2013 |
| 7 | RUSH REVERE & THE BRAVE PILGRIM (Hardcover) | RUSH LIMBAUGH | THRESHOLD EDITIONS | 10/1/2013 |
| 8 | OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! (Hardcover) | DR SEUSS | RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS | 1/1/1990 |
| 9 | GREEN EGGS AND HAM (Hardcover) | DR SEUSS | RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS | 8/1/1960 |
| 10 | THE WIMPY KID DO-IT-YOURSELF BOOK (Hardcover) | JEFF KINNEY | AMULET BOOKS | 5/1/2011 |
| Source: Nielsen. Data from Dec. 31, 2012-Dec. 8, 2013. Nielsen BookScan’s U.S. Consumer Market Panel currently covers approximately 85% of the print book market and continues to grow. As of January 2013, BookScan includes sales from Wal-Mart. |
Top 10 Most Wanted Titles of 2013 for Xbox 360
| Title | Release Date | Game Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Ghosts | 11/5/13 | 99% |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 9/17/13 | 98% |
| Battlefield 4 | 10/29/13 | 97% |
| Madden NFL 25 | 8/27/13 | 97% |
| Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag | 10/29/13 | 96% |
| Tomb Raider | 3/5/13 | 95% |
| Gears of War: Judgment* | 3/19/13 | 94% |
| Bioshock: Infinite | 3/26/13 | 93% |
| Dead Space 3 | 2/5/13 | 92% |
| The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct | 3/19/13 | 91% |
| Source: Nielsen. Read as: At one week pre-release, Call of Duty: Ghosts on Xbox 360 performed better in overall aggregated U.S. consumer anticipation than 99 percent of all previous Xbox 360 titles at the same point in their release cycles. Data from Jan. 1, 2013-Dec. 1, 2013. The overall anticipation level among gaming consumers was derived from leveraging several key consumer metrics (including Awareness, Purchase Interest and others) into one overall score. That score was then compared to scores from all previous games released on the same platform at the same point in their release cycles, to determine the percentile ranking of the upcoming title (aka the Nielsen Game Rank™). *Title is a platform exclusive. |
Top 10 Most Wanted Titles of 2013 for PS3
| Title | Release Date | Game Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 9/17/13 | 100% |
| Call of Duty: Ghosts | 11/5/13 | 99% |
| Battlefield 4 | 10/29/13 | 98% |
| Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag | 10/29/13 | 98% |
| Madden NFL 25 | 8/27/13 | 97% |
| Tomb Raider | 3/5/13 | 97% |
| Dead Space 3 | 2/5/13 | 96% |
| God of War: Ascension* | 3/12/13 | 96% |
| The Last of Us* | 6/14/13 | 96% |
| Gran Turismo 6* | 12/6/13 | 95% |
| Source: Nielsen. Read as: At one week pre-release, Grand Theft Auto V on PS3 performed better in overall aggregated U.S. consumer anticipation than all previous PS3 titles at the same point in their release cycles. Data from Jan. 1, 2013-Dec. 1, 2013. The overall anticipation level among gaming consumers was derived from leveraging several key consumer metrics (including Awareness, Purchase Interest and others) into one overall score. That score was then compared to scores from all previous games released on the same platform at the same point in their release cycles, to determine the percentile ranking of the upcoming title (aka the Nielsen Game Rank™). *Title is a platform exclusive. |
Top 10 Most Wanted Titles of 2013 for Personal Computer (PC)
| Title | Release Date | Game Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 9/17/13 | 99% |
| Call of Duty: Ghosts | 11/5/13 | 99% |
| Battlefield 4 | 10/29/13 | 98% |
| Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag | 10/29/13 | 97% |
| Dead Space 3 | 2/5/13 | 95% |
| Tomb Raider | 3/5/13 | 94% |
| Bioshock: Infinite | 3/26/13 | 93% |
| SimCity* | 3/5/13 | 92% |
| The Sims 3: University Life* | 3/5/13 | 92% |
| The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct | 3/19/13 | 91% |
| Source: Nielsen. Read as: At one week pre-release, Grand Theft Auto V on PC performed better in overall aggregated U.S. consumer anticipation than 99 percent of all previous PC titles at the same point in their release cycles. Data from Jan. 1, 2013-Dec. 1, 2013. The overall anticipation level among gaming consumers was derived from leveraging several key consumer metrics (including Awareness, Purchase Interest and others) into one overall score. That score was then compared to scores from all previous games released on the same platform at the same point in their release cycles, to determine the percentile ranking of the upcoming title (aka the Nielsen Game Rank™). *Title is a platform exclusive. |
