Earlier today, the Digital Entertainment Group, a Los Angeles-based, industry funded nonprofit corporation that advocates and promotes the many consumer benefits associated with various entertainment products, including both physical and digital media on a variety of platforms, reported a 5% increase in home entertainment spending in Q3. The increase, which is the first since the first quarter of 2008 when the economic downturn began, is driven by a surge in Blu-ray sales.
According to the Digital Entertainment Group, the number of homes with Blu-ray players has also jumped 52% from a year ago to 33.5 million.
Even more impressive are the gains made in Blu-ray catalog sales. The Digital Entertainment Group reported year-to-date increases of more than 60 percent, led by impressive sales of popular classics such as
Star Wars,
Citizen Kane,
Scarface and
The Big Lebowski, among many others.
Looking forward to Q4, the industry is confident that sales will be strong again, as the summer's big blockbusters begin entering the retail system, among them
Captain America: The First Avenger,
Cars 2,
Cowboys & Aliens,
The Hangover Part II,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,
The Help,
Kung Fu Panda 2,
Rise of the Planet of the Apes,
The Smurfs 3D, and
Water for Elephants.