For the week that ended on December 18th, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's
Venom: Let There Be Carnage debuted on top of both both the Blu-ray-only and overall packaged media charts. A sequel featuring the beloved Matrvel Comics character was guaranteed after his debut feature
Venom became a breakout hit in 2018. Filmed in 2019,
Venom: Let There Be Carnage was intended for an October 2020 release, but post-production on the film was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Eventually, the film was released in October 2021, a year later than planned, but nevertheless, the film topped the box office in its opening weekend, pulling in over $90 million, on its way to a current total of $212 million domestically, and over $501 million globally. This week,
Venom: Let There Be Carnage had an HD share of 68% and 23% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
Dropping to second place on the Blu-ray chart is Walt Disney Home Entertainment's
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings once again topped both the Blu-ray-only and overall packaged media charts. The 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is based on the character Shang-Chi, who debuted in 1973 in the comics, and is the first MCU film to have an Asian lead and a majority Asian cast, notably being the first role in a Hollywood film for Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, one of Hong Kong's major stars. Originally planned to be released in February 2021, the coronavirus pandemic caused several delays for the film, including halting the film shoot in 2020 and causing the film's release date to shift several times in conjunction with other Marvel films. Eventually, the film was released in September over the Labor Day holiday in the United States, where it received positive reviews and made over $94 million during the holiday weekend, on its way to over $224 million domestically and over $432 million globally so far. This week,
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sold 14% as many Blu-ray units as
Venom: Let There Be Carnage, with an HD share of 67% and 22% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
Returning to the top three Blu-rays is Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's
The Suicide Squad. A follow-up to the 2016 film
Suicide Squad, Gunn's film aimed to incorporate some of the previous film's characters in an R-rated adventure with new recruits. While the result was greeted with a positive critical reception,
The Suicide Squad opened in July and August to disappointing box office results, grossing just over $167 million worldwide against a budget of $185 million. This week,
The Suicide Squad sold 8% as many Blu-ray units as
Venom: Let There Be Carnage, with an HD share of 72% and 21% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
Elsewhere on the charts, Walt Disney Home Entertainment's
The Last Duel, the only other new release this week, came in at No. 10 on the Blu-ray chart.
Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 12/18/21:
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- The Suicide Squad
- Jungle Cruise
- Venom / Venom: Let There Be Carnage
- Dr. Seuss' The Grinch
- F9: The Fast Saga
- Free Guy
- Ron's Gone Wrong
- The Last Duel
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 12/18/21 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage (68%)
- Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (7%)
- Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (27%)
- Elf (18%)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (67%)
Top Blu-ray 3D Seller for Week Ending 12/18/21 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- The Polar Express 3D (4.03%)
Top Five UHD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 12/18/21 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- The Wolf of Wall Street 4K (79%)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K (2001-2003) (53%)
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage 4K (22.5%)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 4K (22.2%)
- The Suicide Squad 4K (21%)