Blu-ray Sales, Aug. 24-30: The Walking Dead Shambles to Number One

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Blu-ray Sales, Aug. 24-30: The Walking Dead Shambles to Number One

Posted September 3, 2015 09:11 AM by Josh Katz

For the week that ended on August 30th, The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season premiered at the top of the Blu-ray-only and overall package-media sales lists. Even with the intense behind-the-scene controversies that have dogged the show since its second season - due to creative differences with AMC, original showrunner Frank Darabont left the series, a move that caused an exodus of certain key cast members and kicked off a revolving door of showrunners that has included, so far, Glen Mazzara and Scott Gimple - this horror drama remains one of the most watched programs on both basic cable and on AMC, even inspiring the network's new spin-off Fear the Walking Dead. This week, The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season had a Blu-ray market share of 37%.

Next up on the Blu-ray-only ranking was the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection. A compilation of twelve features from the Mouse House's recent short-film history, this set sold 64% as many Blu-rays as The Walking Dead and had an HD market share of 100%. On the overall package-media rankings, this Blu-ray package dropped to seventh place, behind, respectively, Sony's Aloha, DreamWorks' Home, Warner's LEGO Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom, Lionsgate's Insurgent, and Anchor Bay/Starz's Big Game. It sold 24% as many total units as The Walking Dead.

Finally, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Aloha rounded out the top three spots on the Blu-ray-only list. Director Cameron Crowe's much maligned follow-up to his We Bought a Zoo, Aloha arrived to theaters on a wave of bad buzz - much of it brought on by the 2014 Sony-email hacks - and found little respite from critics and audiences. The film currently has a 40% score on Metacritic, and it only grossed $26 million worldwide on top of its estimated $37 million production budget. In terms of the Blu-ray-only list, Aloha sold 52% as many copies as The Walking Dead and had a Blu-ray market share of 31%. Regarding the overall package-media list, the film came in second place and sold 62% as many total units as the zombie-based program.

Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 08/30/15:
  1. The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season
  2. Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection
  3. Aloha
  4. Home
  5. Insurgent
  6. LEGO Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom
  7. Big Game
  8. The Runner
  9. Star Wars: Episodes IV-VI
  10. Kingsman: The Secret Service
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 08/30/15 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
  1. The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season (37%)
  2. Aloha (31%)
  3. Home (32%)
  4. Insurgent (45%)
  5. LEGO Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom (35%)
Top Five Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 08/30/15 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. Insurgent 3D (20%)
  2. Jupiter Ascending 3D (5%)
  3. X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D (3%)
  4. Hotel Transylvania 3D (3%)
  5. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 3D (3%)