Disney's newest reimagining of
The Muppets scored the highest spot on both Blu-ray and overall package media sales for the week ending on March 25th, garnering 52% of its sales totals from the HD format. The family-friendly comedy enjoyed a healthy box office run - it grossed over $88 million on top of a projected $45 million budget - and its strong small-screen debut suggests a promising future in the home media market.
However, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment also had a lucrative week, thanks to its successful counter-programming measure. Appealing to an older demographic, the distributor premiered David Fincher's R-rated
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo adaptation at the number two slot on both the Blu-ray and overall package media charts. The film sold 78% as many total units as
The Muppets and actually saw
more of its figures come from the HD format than the puppet adventure did; 55% of
Dragon Tattoo copies moved were Blu-rays. Still, many analysts believe that continued the mystery-thriller's continued good fortune on home media will help ensure Sony's commitment to its proposed Lisbeth Salander franchise, considering that the $90 million picture only scored a domestic box-office earning of just over $102 million.
Universal Studios' decision to release
Hop last week potentially illustrates some of the perils that occur when two family-themed features try to court the same audience at the same time;
Hop did not perform at the same level that
The Muppets did, arriving well behind both
The Muppets and
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in Blu-rays and overall package media units sold. Consumers bought 60% as many copies of the Easter-set adventure as they did
The Muppets, and only 36% of those numbers came from Blu-ray. However, given that
Hop streeted on a Friday instead of on Tuesday, one could also attribute those lower figures to a smaller sales window rather than to
Muppets competition.
Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 03/25/12:
- The Muppets
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Hop
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- The Adventures of Tintin
- The Sitter
- Puss in Boots
- Immortals
- Happy Feet Two
- The Descendants
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 03/25/12 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
- The Muppets (52%)
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (55%)
- Hop (36%)
- The Adventures of Tintin (42%)
- The Sitter (38%)
Top Five Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 03/25/12 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- Hugo 3D (15%)
- The Three Musketeers 3D (15%)
- The Adventures of Tintin 3D (11%)
- Immortals 3D (11%)
- Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (10%)