Blu-ray Sales, Mar. 12-18: Tintin Tops Blu-rays

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Blu-ray Sales, Mar. 12-18: Tintin Tops Blu-rays

Posted March 23, 2012 08:55 AM by Josh Katz

During its theatrical run, Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin proved surprisingly unpopular with U.S. audiences; budgeted at roughly $130 million, the film grossed under $80 million domestically, a far cry from its near-$300 million international take. However, Paramount Pictures' animated feature made a strong initial showing on the home media market for the week that ended on March 18th, topping overall Blu-ray sales. Consumers purchased 50% of the title from the HD format.

To illustrate the advantage that Tintin had, one can note the record of the second most popular Blu-ray, filmmaker Alexander Payne's Academy Award-winning The Descendants, which saw 32% of its weekly totals come from Blu-rays. Both discs streeted on the same day, yet The Descendants only sold 61% as many Blu-rays as The Adventures of Tintin. Still, The Descendants's placement in the top three for both overall package media and Blu-ray rankings suggests strong viewer interest, considering that the picture overcame its R-rating and mature to enjoy this relatively robust home media debut.

In third place is another Blu-ray newcomer - Warner Bros' Happy Feet Two. The sequel to the Academy Award-winning Happy Feet only had a total Blu-ray share of 23% and sold 54% as many Blu-ray copies as The Adventures of Tintin. Happy Feet Two's status last week reflects its general performance at the box office; worldwide grosses come to just over $150 million, which slightly exceeds the film's $130 million production costs.

The three movies swap positions when taking into consideration the overall package media results. While each stays in one of the top three slots, Happy Feet Two actually claims the highest sales figures, with The Adventures of Tintin a very close second - Tintin sold 87% as many overall units as Happy Feet Two. That shift then relegates Fox Home Entertainment's The Descendants to third place, though again, the dramedy maintains a healthy foothold, moving 83% as many copies as the penguin comedy.

Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 03/11/12:
  1. The Adventures of Tintin
  2. The Descendants
  3. Happy Feet Two
  4. Immortals
  5. The Three Musketeers
  6. Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season
  7. Hugo
  8. My Week with Marilyn
  9. Puss in Boots
  10. The Godfather Collection
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 03/11/12 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
  1. Happy Feet Two (23%)
  2. The Adventures of Tintin (50%)
  3. The Descendants (32%)
  4. Immortals (48%)
  5. Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season (47%)
Top Five Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 03/11/12 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
  1. The Three Musketeers 3D (19%)
  2. Hugo 3D (17%)
  3. The Adventures of Tintin 3D (16%)
  4. Immortals 3D (12%)
  5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 3D (10%)