Blu-ray Sales, December 8-14: Guardians Soars High over Apes

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Blu-ray Sales, December 8-14: Guardians Soars High over Apes

Posted December 17, 2014 10:44 PM by Josh Katz

For the week that ended on December 14th, Marvel and Disney Home Entertainment's Guardians of the Galaxy took the top spot on the Blu-ray-only and overall package-media rankings. This goofy sci-fi adventure was somewhat of a surprise hit for its distributors when it premiered in August; despite taking its cues from a cult Marvel property, Guardians of the Galaxy proved both critically and commercially successful, netting a Metacritic score of 76% and grossing over $332 million domestically. Last week, the film had a robust Blu-ray market share of 62%.

Next up on the Blu-ray-only and overall package-media charts was last week's top seller: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The sequel to the 2011 surprise hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes had a very successful performance when the picture premiered last July. After receiving positive critical acclaim (it has a Metacritic score of 79%), the film grossed over $708 million worldwide on top of its estimated $170-million budget. On the Blu-ray-only ranking, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes sold 9% as many Blu-rays as Guardians of the Galaxy (and garnered an HD market share of 46%), and on the overall package-media chart, the film moved 12% as many units as the Marvel hit.

Finally, Warner Bros' family-friendly feature Dolphin Tale 2 rounded out the top three spots on the Blu-ray-only chart. A follow-up to the studio's 2011 sleeper hit, Dolphin Tale 2 had but a modest impact on the box-office in September. In addition to unspectacular critical notices (its Metacritic score is 58%), Dolphin Tale 2 only grossed just over $36 million in the domestic market on top of its estimated $36-million budget. On the Blu-ray-only list, Dolphin Tale 2 sold 4% as many copies as Guardians of the Galaxy and had a Blu-ray market share of 26%. Regarding the overall package-media chart, the picture came in fourth place (behind Disney's Frozen) and moved 11% as many units as Guardians of the Galaxy.

Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 12/14/14:
  1. Guardians of the Galaxy
  2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  3. Dolphin Tale 2
  4. How to Train Your Dragon 2
  5. Maleficent
  6. When the Game Stands Tall
  7. The Expendables 3
  8. 22 Jump Street
  9. Frozen
  10. X-Men: Days of Future Past
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 12/14/14 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
  1. Guardians of the Galaxy (62%)
  2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (46%)
  3. Frozen (14%)
  4. Dolphin Tale 2 (26%)
  5. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (31%)
Top Five Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 12/14/14 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. Guardians of the Galaxy 3D (33%)
  2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 3D (11%)
  3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 3D (10%)
  4. X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D (7%)
  5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (5%)