After three profitable weeks, the smash hit
The Hunger Games finally fell from the number one spot on the Blu-ray and overall package media charts, and taking its place was Universal Studios' sci-fi blockbuster
Battleship, director Peter Berg's adaptation of the iconic Hasbro board game.
Battleship's small-screen debut at the top came on the heels of a disappointing theatrical run; while the film, which sports an estimated production budget of $209 million, enjoyed strong international grosses totaling over $237 million, it underperformed dramatically in the United States, netting Universal only $65 million domestically. Whether or not
Battleship will continue to show high totals on the home media platforms - including a 61% Blu-ray market share - is still to be seen, but its defeat of
The Hunger Games this past week certainly stood as a positive marker in its financial history.
That said,
The Hunger Games coming in second did not do much to tarnish its fortunes on home media thus far. The dystopian thriller still generated a profit for Lionsgate; though its drop on the Blu-ray-only chart was larger than expected - it sold 49% as many discs as
Battleship and had just a 36% HD market share - it still maintained a good foothold in the overall package media rankings, moving a healthy 84% as many units as Peter Berg's action-adventure.
Finally, third place on the HD rankings went to a title far removed from either
Battleship or
The Hunger Games:
The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season. The second season proved itself to be creatively controversial, as the sudden departure of showrunner Frank Darabont necessitated an overhaul in the writing staff and several major cast changes, but audiences still flocked to this horror drama, making it one of AMC's most watched programs as well as the highest-rated cable drama from 12 February 2012 to 18 March 2012. The Season Two Blu-ray set showed great potential on the home media market (including a 50% HD market share), selling 37% as many copies as
Battleship despite its violent subject matter and higher - in some retail institutions - SRPs.
Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 09/02/12:
- Battleship
- The Hunger Games
- The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season
- The Lucky One
- Think Like a Man
- Sons of Anarchy: Season Four
- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
- The Pirates! Band of Misfits
- Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Second Season
- The Dictator
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 09/02/12 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
- Battleship (61%)
- The Hunger Games (36%)
- The Lucky One (24%)
- Think Like a Man (24%)
- The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season (50%)
Top Three Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 09/02/12 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D (19%)
- Wrath of the Titans 3D (11%)
- The Pirates! Band of Misfits in 3D (10%)
- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax 3D (5%)
- Despicable Me 3D (3%)