Blu-ray Sales: November 19-25: Oppenheimer Tops the Charts in Debut

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Blu-ray Sales: November 19-25: Oppenheimer Tops the Charts in Debut

Posted December 1, 2023 03:47 PM by Sean Greenwood

For the week that ended on November 25th, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment's Oppenheimer (2023) took the top spot on the both the Blu-ray-only and overall packaged media charts. Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (2005), Oppenheimer began production in 2021 at Universal Pictures, who won a bidding war for Nolan's screenplay, after he parted ways with Warner Bros. following the pandemic-impacted release of his previous film Tenet in 2020. However, Oppenheimer still displays the director's characteristic traits, notably the use of celluloid film, especially large formats like 65mm and IMAX film, the latter of which was used not just in color sequences, but in black-and-white footage, too. To that end, Oppenheimer also became the first feature since Tenet to receive a release on massive IMAX 70mm film prints, in engagements that only played at about 30 cinemas worldwide and necessitated the installation of specialized projection equipment to handle the IMAX film stock. In addition to its IMAX 70mm run, Oppenheimer also saw releases on both standard 70mm and 35mm film prints for theaters which still had the capability to project film. As Nolan is a major proponent of the theatrical experience, Oppenheimer also enjoyed an extended run in cinemas, grossing some $950 million worldwide and receiving widespread critical acclaim. For its home video release, Oppenheimer received over three hours of extras on a dedicated Blu-ray bonus disc, and demand for the three-disc 4K UHD editions, which were also sold as retailer exclusiives like a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook and a Walmart Exclusive Icon Edition Digipack, was so great that retailers sold out and Universal had to address the issue publicly, stating: "We are happy so many consumers are embracing Oppenheimer in 4K Ultra HD and understand that some retailers may currently be out of stock...Universal is working to replenish those retailers quickly so fans can watch the film at home in the best picture quality possible." Nevertheless, this week, Oppenheimer had an HD share of 74% and 36% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.

Remaining to second place on both charts in its sixth week is Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Barbie. Greta Gerwig's film is set in Barbie Land, where Barbie and her fellow dolls live in harmony with Ken dolls, at least until Barbie has an existential crisis, leading her and Ken on a journey to the real world. Marking the first live-action adventure for the beloved fashion doll that debuted in 1959, expectations for Barbie were high, with a large marketing campaign and a key summer release date. The film opened to critical acclaim, grossing over $162 million on its opening weekend and outperforming expectations. There was also a bit of serendipity, as Barbie ended up releasing on the same weekend as Oppenheimer. However, instead of the two films cannibalizing each other, a social media phenomenon developed which was dubbed "Barbenheimer", whereby people sought to see both films back-to-back as a double feature. The result was a combined weekend gross of over $246 million for both films. But Barbie has also proved to be a juggernaut of its own, eventually grossing some $636 million domestically and over $1.44 billion worldwide so far, surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie to become the highest-grossing film of 2023 to date. This week, Barbie sold 60% as many Blu-ray units as Oppenheimer, with an HD share of 61% and 7% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.

And returning to third place on both charts is is Universal Pictures Home Entertainment's The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Released theatrically in April 2023, the animated adaptation of the hugely popular Nintendo video game series received mixed reviews, but smashed several box office records, ending up with over $574 million domestically and a staggering $1.36 billion worldwide. This week, The Super Mario Bros. Movie sold 56% as many Blu-ray units as Oppenheimer, with an HD share of 75% and 29% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.

Elsewhere on the charts, Lionsgate Home Entertainment's Expend4bles (AKA The Expendables 4) and Saw X debuted on the Blu-ray-only chart at Nos. 6 and 10, respectively.

Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 11/25/23:
  1. Oppenheimer (2023)
  2. Barbie
  3. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
  4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
  5. John Wick: Chapter 4
  6. Expend4bles (The Expendables 4)
  7. Fast X
  8. The Equalizer 3
  9. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
  10. Saw X
Top UHD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 11/25/23:
  1. Oppenheimer 4K (2023)
  2. Fast X 4K
  3. The Super Mario Bros. Movie 4K
  4. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 4K
  5. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 4K
  6. John Wick: Chapter 4 4K
  7. Expend4bles 4K (The Expendables 4)
  8. The Flash 4K (2023)
  9. Top Gun: Maverick 4K
  10. Interstellar 4K
  11. Saw X 4K
  12. The Fugitive 4K (1993)
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 11/25/23 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
  1. Oppenheimer (2023) (74%)
  2. Barbie (61%)
  3. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (75%)
  4. Expend4bles (The Expendables 4) (61%)
  5. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (92%)
Top Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 11/25/23 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. Dune 3D (2021) (0.55%)
  2. The Polar Express 3D (0.03%)
Top Five UHD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 11/25/23 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. Interstellar 4K (97%)
  2. Dune 4K (2021) (72%)
  3. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 4K (60%)
  4. Fast X 4K (50%)
  5. The Flash 4K (2023) (45%)