Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Weekend predictions: Sony and Lionsgate enter the arena

December 18th, 2020

What will be a long, slow, and painful process of recover at the box office starts this weekend with the wide release of films from two studios that have largely stayed on the sidelines over the past few months, both in terms of releasing films, and in terms of creating headlines. Monster Hunter from Sony Pictures is getting the widest debut, in 1,736 theaters, and is likely to win the weekend. Fatale is Lionsgate’s offering and opens in 1,107 locations. We might not yet be at the “acceptance” stage of grief in the theatrical market, but we do at least now have four major studios releasing films wide, with the two newcomers joining Universal and Warner Bros., who have taken more controversial routes that combine wide releases with early PVOD or streaming debuts for their films.

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Blu-ray Sales: The Average Spider-Man

January 8th, 2013

There were half-a-dozen new releases to chart on the November 11th edition of the Blu-ray sales chart. This includes The Amazing Spider-Man, which earned first place with 641,000 units / $14.37 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 54%, which is impressive, but one has to assume the studio was hoping for more. Then again, the film is more than profitable enough to ensure a sequel. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 13th, 2012

November 13th, 2012

New releases this week are dominated by one title, Brave. The second best selling title according to Amazon.com is Lawrence of Arabia, which is a film that should be in everyone's collection, but as a catalog title, it likely won't sell a huge number of units. The third best selling title according to Amazon.com is Duck Dynasty: Season One. That's not a good sign. Fortunately, Brave is clearly Pick of the Week material with the Blu-ray Combo Pack or 3D Combo Pack battling for that honor. More...

Featured Blu-ray Review: The Muppet Christmas Carol

November 7th, 2012

The Muppet Christmas Carol came out on theaters 20 years ago and while it was only a midlevel hit in theaters, it has developed a more loyal following on the home market and is a perennial Christmas favorite. This week, it made its Blu-ray debut, but is the film worth picking up in high definition? More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 6th, 2012

November 6th, 2012

It's a mixed week on the home market. Granted, there are about a dozen Amazing Spider-man releases coming out this week, but not till Friday. The second best selling new release is Arthur Christmas, which missed expectations last year. Another major release of the week is The Muppets Christmas Carol, which is making its Blu-ray debut, but it is a catalogue title and likely won't sell a huge number of units. On a side note, the screener is late, but I've seen the film so many times that seeing it one more time likely won't change my opinion of the film, but I'm not sure if it is Pick of the Week material. On the other hand, I'm very sure Sunset Boulevard's Blu-ray debut is worthy of that title. More...