For the week that ended on December 2nd, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment's
Oppenheimer (2023) retained the top spot on the both the Blu-ray-only and overall packaged media charts in its second week. 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. This week,
Oppenheimer had an HD share of 64% and 27% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
Moving up four spots to take second place on both charts in its second week is Lionsgate Home Entertainment's
Expend4bles (AKA
The Expendables 4). The sequel is the first in the series to be led by Jason Statham (with fellow franchise star Sylvester Stallone having only a small role), but received largely negative reviews on its release in September 2023 and also bombed at the box office, taking in just about $16 million domestically and currently, only some $37 million worldwide, on a reported $100 million budget. This week,
Expend4bles sold 48% as many Blu-ray units as
Oppenheimer, with an HD share of 57% and 18% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
Taking third place on both charts in its seventh 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 41% as many Blu-ray units as
Oppenheimer, with an HD share of 59% and 12% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
Elsewhere on the charts, Walt Disney Home Entertainment's
WandaVision: The Complete Series (2021) was the week's top new release at No. 4 on both charts. The Marvel series was released only in separate
4K UHD and
Blu-ray SteelBook editions and had a perfect HD share of 100%, with 49% of units sold from the 4K UHD format. Meanwhile, Disney and 20th Century Studios'
A Haunting in Venice, the third of Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot films (which, unlike
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and
Death on the Nile (2022), did not receive a 4K UHD release), came in at No. 11, with an HD share of 49%.
Top Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 12/2/23:
- Oppenheimer (2023)
- Expend4bles (The Expendables 4)
- Barbie
- WandaVision: The Complete Series (2021)
- The Equalizer 3
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Saw X
- Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
- John Wick: Chapter 4
- A Haunting in Venice
Top Ten UHD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 12/2/23:
- Oppenheimer 4K (2023)
- WandaVision: The Complete Series 4K (2021)
- Expend4bles 4K (The Expendables 4)
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 4K
- John Wick: Chapter 4 4K
- Top Gun: Maverick 4K
- Fast X 4K
- Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One 4K
- Barbie 4K
- The Equalizer 3 4K
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 12/2/23 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
- Oppenheimer (2023) (64%)
- Expend4bles (The Expendables 4) (57%)
- Barbie (59%)
- The Equalizer 3 (51%)
- Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (28%)
Top Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 12/2/23 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- Avatar: The Way of Water 3D (4.83%)
Top Five UHD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 12/2/23 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- Avatar: The Way of Water 4K (50%)
- WandaVision: The Complete Series 4K (2021) (49%)
- Top Gun: Maverick 4K (48%)
- The Flash 4K (2023) (45%)
- John Wick: Chapter 4 4K (41%)