Blu-ray Sales, Dec. 2-8: The Wolverine Rages to Number One

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Blu-ray Sales, Dec. 2-8: The Wolverine Rages to Number One

Posted December 11, 2013 11:07 PM by Josh Katz

For the week that ended on December 8th, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment's The Wolverine took the number-one spot on both the Blu-ray-only and overall package media charts. The sixth film featuring Hugh Jackman's iconic turn as Wolverine, The Wolverine proved a modest success last summer; it scored an average Metacritic rating of 60%, and while its $132-million domestic haul only just covered its estimated $120-million production costs, its international take of $282 million helped to further put the film's grosses in the black. On home media platforms, The Wolverine had an HD market share of 56%. Of particular note are its 3D market share figures - 14% of its overall sales came from 3D Blu-rays, in part due to a special unrated edition that Fox made available on that format.

Next up on the Blu-ray-only and overall package media sales rankings was Sony Home Entertainment's The Smurfs 2. This family-friendly sequel struggled to reach the grosses that its 2012 predecessor achieved - The Smurfs 2 grossed only $71 million on top of its $105-million budget, and as its 34% Metacritic score indicates, received middling critical notices. On the Blu-ray-only list, The Smurfs 2 sold 23% as many discs as The Wolverine (it also had a 41% HD market share), and on the overall package media chart, The Smurfs 2 sold 31% as many total units as the Marvel actioner.

Finally, a Paramount title, Star Trek Into Darkness, rounded out the top three spots on the Blu-ray-only media lists. The blockbuster follow-up to J.J. Abrams' summer 2009 favorite, Star Trek Into Darkness garnered solid critical and commercial notices in May - it scored a Metacritic rating of 72% and grossed over $465 million worldwide on top of its $190 million budget. In addition to reclaiming its position in the top three spots on the Blu-ray-only market, this sci-fi adventure sold 20% as many Blu-rays as The Wolverine (at 78%, its Blu-ray market share was much higher than The Wolverine's) and 15% as many total units as the Hugh Jackman vehicle.

Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 12/08/13:
  1. The Wolverine
  2. The Smurfs 2
  3. Star Trek Into Darkness
  4. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
  5. Man of Steel
  6. Planes
  7. Red 2
  8. Monsters University
  9. Pacific Rim
  10. World War Z
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 12/08/13 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
  1. The Wolverine (56%)
  2. The Smurfs 2 (41%)
  3. Red 2 (35%)
  4. Planes (40%)
  5. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (44%)
Top Five Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 12/08/13 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. The Wolverine 3D (14%)
  2. Pacific Rim 3D (14%)
  3. The Wizard of Oz 3D (11%)
  4. World War Z 3D (10%)
  5. Star Trek Into Darkness 3D (9%)