For the week ending on September 30th, Walt Disney Home Entertainment's smash hit
The Avengers dominated both the overall package media and Blu-ray-only sales charts. The film's small-screen success comes as somewhat of a given - to date, it has grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, a sum that has made
The Avengers the third highest grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation). Of its home media totals,
The Avengers had a
record Blu-ray market share of 72% and a separate 3D market share of 23%. By securing such high figures last week, director Joss Whedon's action blockbuster seems primed to enjoy a long life on home media.
Other titles could not compete with
The Avengers. DC Animation's
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part I feature is a highly anticipated title in its own right - it is, after all, the first film adaptation of Frank Miller's influential graphic novel of the same name - yet its sales fell sharply behind the Marvel superhero epic at number two.
The Dark Knight Returns sold 3% as many Blu-rays
and total units as
The Avengers; only its 71% HD market share merits comparison with the
The Avengers' figures. Still, the fact that this straight-to-video title debuted at second place, even with
The Avengers working against it, speaks volumes about
The Dark Knight Returns' inherent viewer interest and bodes well for when
The Dark Knight Returns: Part II premieres next year.
Finally, third place on the HD and total media rankings went to
Snow White and the Huntsman. Again, the dark fantasy did not approach
The Avengers' totals;
Snow White sold just under 2% as many units as
The Avengers on the Blu-ray chart and just over 2% on the overall package media list. The film also had the lowest Blu-ray market share - it topped out at 45%. Low sales figures or not, what this past week demonstrated was that
Snow White and the Huntsman has staying power; the title has maintained a consistent foothold on the Blu-ray and total package media sales rankings since its debut three weeks ago, a condition that only benefits its parent company, Universal Studios.
Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 09/30/12:
- The Avengers
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part I
- Snow White and the Huntsman
- Bond 50
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Resident Evil: Damnation
- Iron Man 2
- American Horror Story: The Complete First Season
- The Cabin in the Woods
Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 09/30/12 (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted):
- The Avengers (72%)
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part I (71%)
- Snow White and the Huntsman (45%)
- American Horror Story: The Complete First Season (36%)
- The Hunger Games (35%)
Top Three Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 09/30/12 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- Titanic 3D (26%)
- The Avengers 3D (23%)
- Thor 3D (20%)
- Captain America: The First Avenger 3D (16%)
- The Lion King 3D (7%)