Blu-ray Sales, Jan. 13-19: Riddick Battles The Butler for Number One

Home

Blu-ray Sales, Jan. 13-19: Riddick Battles The Butler for Number One

Posted January 23, 2014 09:04 AM by Josh Katz

For the week that ended on January 19th, Universal Studios' Riddick took the number one spot on the Blu-ray-only media chart, knocking down the winner from the previous five weeks, Despicable Me 2, which dropped to fourth place on both the Blu-ray-only and overall media rankings. This sci-fi thriller, the latest installment in the adventures of Vin Diesel's charismatic space criminal, did not find the widespread success that Diesel's Fast & Furious 6 did, though it is gaining a cult following. Critically, the film scored a Metacritic grade of 49%, and it barely recouped its $38-million production budget in domestic markets; it made $42 million in North America, though its international earnings boosted that total to just over $98 million. Riddick had a Blu-ray market share of 52%.

Next up on the Blu-ray-only sales ranking was another new release: Starz/Anchor Bay's The Butler. The latest film from Precious director Lee Daniels, The Butler became a surprise hit this summer; Daniels and the Weinstein Company helped parlay the picture's social message and star-studded cast (including Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams, Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., John Cusack, Liev Schreiber, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Clarence Williams III, James Marsden, and Alan Rickman) into a $167-million worldwide box-office gross on top of its $30-million production budget. In fact, The Butler only came in second on the Blu-ray-only list, where it sold 49% as many discs as Riddick and had a 24% HD market share. On the overall package media chart, The Butler actually beat Riddick for first place - there, Riddick sold 95% as many total units as it.

Finally, Twentieth Century Fox's Carrie rounded out the top three spots on the Blu-ray-only and overall package media charts. Director Kimberly Peirce's horror film had a lot to live up to - it's the latest reimagining of Stephen King's classic debut novel, which also inspired Brian De Palma's iconic chiller of the same name - yet its reception split critics and audiences. Its Metacritic score of 53%% suggested a tepid critical response, but the modestly budgeted feature ($30 million) went on to gross $35 million domestically and another $48 internationally. On the Blu-ray-only list, Carrie sold 25% as many discs as Riddick and had a 44% HD market share. On the overall package media chart, the film sold 28% as many total units as The Butler.

Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 01/19/14:
  1. Riddick
  2. The Butler
  3. Carrie
  4. Despicable Me 2
  5. Riddick: The Complete Collection
  6. You're Next
  7. Fruitvale Station
  8. Fast & Furious 6
  9. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
  10. The Lone Ranger
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 01/19/14 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
  1. The Butler (24%)
  2. Riddick (52%)
  3. Carrie (44%)
  4. Despicable Me 2 (39%)
  5. Fruitvale Station (27%)
Top Five Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 01/19/14 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. The Wolverine 3D (10%)
  2. Man of Steel 3D (9%)
  3. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters 3D (8%)
  4. Monsters University 3D (6%)
  5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3D (6%)