For the week ending on August 19th, the biggest home media success was Lionsgate Home Entertainment's new release of
The Hunger Games. Produced for a modest $78 million budget, this adaptation of author Suzanne Collins' dystopian science-fiction novel garnered Lionsgate a big win when it premiered theatrically last March - to date, it has grossed over $684 million worldwide, with a domestic total of $407 million - and the film's home media fortunes seem similarly lucrative.
The Hunger Games topped both the Blu-ray and overall package media charts and had a Blu-ray market share of 43%. Its sales totals stand as a testament to the feature's popularity; it shot to the top of the rankings despite streeting only one day before the end of the weekly sales window.
With a number two position, Universal Studios'
The Lorax maintained its standing in the top three Blu-ray and overall package media sales slots, though it did lose a large share of viewer interest competing against
The Hunger Games; looking at the HD format only, where
The Lorax had a Blu-ray market share of 37%, the CGI-animated comedy sold only 22% as many discs as
The Hunger Games, and the amount of total home media units sold improved only marginally - just 26% as many copies as the PG-13 thriller. That said,
The Lorax's appeal, however diminished, certainly evinced the appeal that more family-friendly media can have even when paired against a medium as culturally sweeping as
The Hunger Games.
Finally, third place on the HD rankings held the highly anticipated Blu-ray release of
Jaws. Newly restored for the format,
Jaws performed below expectations because it had to contend with
The Hunger Games; director Steven Spielberg's iconic adventure sold 15% as many Blu-rays as
The Hunger Games and 7% as many total units. Still,
Jaws' home media reception demonstrated that consumers were excited to upgrade the movie in the high-definition era - 94% of its overall copies sold came from the HD platform.
Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 08/19/12:
- The Hunger Games
- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
- Jaws
- Dexter: The Sixth Season
- The Raid: Redemption
- Wrath of the Titans
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
- Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
- Total Recall
- Glee: The Complete Third Season
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 08/19/12 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
- The Hunger Games (43%)
- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (37%)
- Dexter: The Sixth Season (22%)
- Jaws (94%)
- Glee: The Complete Third Season (18%)
Top Five Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 08/19/12 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D (15%)
- Wrath of the Titans 3D (12%)
- John Carter 3D (11%)
- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax 3D (5%)
- Despicable Me 3D (2%)