Blu-ray Sales, August 6-12: The Lorax Sits at the Top Spot

This past week saw a new release top both the overall package media and Blu-ray sales charts: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Universal Studios' animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss children's story had an impressive box-office showing last March - it grossed over $214 million off an estimated $70 million production budget - and its home media debut at number one suggests continued viewer interest in the title. The Lorax (which arrived in 2D and 3D video editions) handily outgrossed the other discs available for purchase and enjoyed a 47% Blu-ray market share. After four weeks of sales dominated by the first two entries in Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise, The Lorax's success evinces the renewed appeal of more family-friendly media fare instead of the darkness inherent within Nolan's superhero sagas.

That said, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight retain strong positions - at two and three, respectively - on the Blu-ray rankings. Their HD market shares are high; 59% of all Batman Begins units sold come from the Blu-ray format, and The Dark Knight has an even better weekly percentage with its 61% Blu-ray figure. But, again, compared to The Lorax, overall totals were down considerably for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Batman Begins sold only 5% as many Blu-rays as The Lorax, while its Heath Ledger-starring follow-up managed just under 4.5% as many sales.

When taking into consideration the overall package media chart, the Batman pictures rank even lower at positions four and five. After The Lorax, the next highest seller is filmmaker Kevin Macdonald's Bob Marley documentary Marley, which bested not just Batman Begins and The Dark Knight but also viewer favorites such as Despicable Me and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Following the Magnolia Pictures feature comes Sony's Hatfields & McCoys; the epic miniseries continues the trend of strong sales that it established with its home media premiere two weeks ago. Both Marley and Hatfields & McCoys sold roughly 5% as many total units as The Lorax.

Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 08/12/12:

1. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
2. Batman Begins
3. The Dark Knight
4. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
5. Marley
6. Hatfields & McCoys
7. The Expendables
8. Total Recall
9. Despicable Me
10. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 08/12/12 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):

1. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (47%)
2. Marley (38%)
3. Hatfields & McCoys (31%)
4. Batman Begins (59%)
5. The Dark Knight (61%)

Top Five Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 08/12/12 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D (70%)
2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D (33%)
3. Rio 3D (25%)
4. Captain America: The First Avenger 3D (22%)
5. Thor 3D (21%)