Blu-ray Sales: March 24-30: The Iron Claw on Top in Debut

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Blu-ray Sales: March 24-30: The Iron Claw on Top in Debut

Posted April 8, 2024 05:58 PM by Sean Greenwood

For the week that ended on March 30th, Lionsgate Home Entertainment's The Iron Claw topped the Blu-ray-only chart in its debut. The film, based on the true story of the Von Erlich family of professional wrestlers, opened in December 2023 to strong reviews from critics and audiences alike, eventually grossing over $44 million worldwide and taking a spot on the National Board of Review's Top Ten Films list. This week, The Iron Claw had a perfect HD share of 100%, however, a 4K UHD edition was not made available.

Dropping to second place on the Blu-ray-only chart in its third week is Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. A sequel to Aquaman (2018) was never in any doubt once the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film grossed over $1 billion, but the production would be beset by several issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, which pushed principal photography into 2021, legal issues for Aquaman's female lead, Amber Heard, the Warner Bros. Discovery merger in 2022 and the announcement in 2023 of the DCEU continuity being largely abandoned in favor of a new DCU (DC Universe) of films. Although Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was initially completed on time and under budget, two sets of re-shoots took place in 2023 and the budget ballooned to a reported $215 million, all of which gave the film an uphill battle, both at the box office and with audiences. When the film finally opened in late December 2023, it did top the box office, but with only some $27 million en route to a domestic total of over $124 million. Critical reviews were largely negative, but internationally, the film did a bit better, with over $309 million, and it did become the highest-grossing DCEU film since Aquaman five years earlier. However, with a worldwide total of over $434 million, it fell well short of its predecessor's $1.15 billion. This week, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom sold 68% as many Blu-ray units as The Iron Claw, with an HD share of 51% and 12% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.

And dropping to third place in its third week is Walt Disney Home Entertainment and 20th Century Studios' Aliens, which was one of three James Cameron films released on 4K UHD / Blu-ray combo pack in March 2024. While Aliens had been released on Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox in 2014, two other Cameron films, The Abyss and True Lies, were making their worldwide debuts on the Blu-ray format the same week. This week, Aliens sold 55% as many Blu-ray units as The Iron Claw, with an HD share of 100% and 99.29% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.

Elsewhere on the charts, the top new release this week was Discotek Media's Berserk: The Complete 1997 TV Series, which came in at No. 4 on the Blu-ray-only chart, while outside the top ten, Viz Media's Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War: Part 1 came in at No. 12 and RLJE Films' When Evil Lurks debuted at No. 14.

On the Top UHD Sellers chart, Paramount Home Media Distribution's Primal Fear 4K came in at No. 9, while the Criterion Collection's To Die For 4K (1995) came in just behind it at No. 10 and Kino Lorber's Paint Your Wagon 4K took No. 11. Outside that, Blue Underground's Night of the Blood Monster 4K (AKA The Bloody Judge) landed at No. 16.

Top Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 3/30/24:
  1. The Iron Claw
  2. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
  3. Aliens
  4. Berserk: The Complete 1997 TV Series
  5. Wonka
  6. True Lies
  7. Migration (2023)
  8. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
  9. Wish (2023)
  10. Oppenheimer (2023)
  11. The Abyss
  12. Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War: Part 1
Top UHD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 3/30/24:
  1. Aliens 4K
  2. True Lies 4K
  3. The Abyss 4K
  4. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 4K
  5. Oppenheimer 4K (2023)
  6. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 4K
  7. Dune 4K (2021)
  8. Wonka 4K
  9. Primal Fear 4K
  10. To Die For 4K (1995)
  11. Paint Your Wagon 4K
Top Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 3/30/24 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
  1. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (51%)
  2. The Iron Claw (100%)
  3. Migration (2023) (41%)
  4. Wonka (50%)
  5. Wish (2023) (46%)
  6. Aliens (100%)
  7. Wednesday: The Complete First Season (3%)
Top Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 3/30/24 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. Dune 3D (2021) (1.09%)
  2. Godzilla vs. Kong 3D (0.72%)
  3. Titanic 3D (1997) (0.63%)
  4. Trolls World Tour 3D (0.03%)
Top Five UHD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 3/30/24 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. Aliens 4K (99.29%)
  2. Oppenheimer 4K (2023) (36%)
  3. Dune 4K (2021) (33%)
  4. Godzilla vs. Kong 4K (30%)
  5. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 4K (15%)