BD Sales: November 9-15 – Pixar Goes Up in Monster Week (Update)

Two titles from Pixar Animation Studios and released by Disney were the top sellers in the week ended November 15, according to Nielsen VideoScan. 'Up' was the clear number one. 'Monsters, Inc.' followed, with Blu-ray sales so strong that they propelled the title to number 6 on the overall packaged-media sales chart. The research department of Home Media Magazine estimates that total DVD and Blu-ray first-week unit sales of 'Up' were near 5 million. The BD market share for the title was 24%, a record for the genre; recent similar titles, such as 'Monsters vs Aliens' and 'Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs', had sold under 15% of its total sales on Blu-ray in their first week on shelves. Here is the Blu-ray top 10 (previous-week ranking in parenthesis): • Up • Monsters, Inc. (1) G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (3) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (4) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs • The Ugly Truth • Heat (2) The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (5) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (17) Monsters vs Aliens Regarding BD sales percentages, 'The Ugly Truth' made only 6% for Blu-ray. Overall, BD sales revenue was $41.03 million, the highest figure this year so far (higher even than release week for Transformers 2), up 164.14% from the same week last year. Total sales in the fourth quarter so far have been $214.07 million, up 131% year on year. Packaged-media sales revenue was $244.79 million, down 4.34% year-on-year. Blu-ray accounted for 16.8% of that revenue.
Source: Home Media Magazine | Permalink	Relevant for:

thespindoc  » Nov 19, 2009
Anyone, and I mean anyone who didn't predict this needs to get there head checked or just isn't aware of this forum. Great news for Blu-Ray in general though, by increasing market share against its older DVD sibling. Monsters, Inc. could have closed the gap on Up had stores stocked more, i.e. Target dropped the ball on that one.

mikryan29  » Nov 19, 2009
i really wish they would stop putting dvd's in with the blu ray's . Although i got a great deal on both these titles others that have 4 discs or even 3 cost too much money . I wonder what we would save if anything without the dvd version . i just give mine away

Dynamo of Eternia  » Nov 19, 2009

I'm sure that Up would have done generally well no matter what (likely still beating out the likes of Monsters VS Aliens and Ice Age 3, as Pixar movies tend to do). Having said that, while on some level it is amazing and wonderful that the title sold that well, on another level it's not amazing a all considering that Up and Monsters Inc. were practically being given away for free in some cases with all of the stackable coupons, etc, that were available (and even those who didn't get them for the super-low 98 cents type of price still easily were able to get both for around $10 to $25, which is still a steal for 2 Blu-Rays). Wow, what a shocker, if you give popular movies away for free, or for dirt cheap, people buy them! Heck, given that these Blu-Rays include the DVD versions of the movies, I wouldn't be surprised if people who otherwise would have just bought the single disc DVD version of Up got this instead because it was a far better deal and still included the same DVD disc that they would have gotten otherwise. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing for the format in many respects. However, I thought the idea of pushing Blu-Ray in general was to get people into and excited about a new format that way they were about DVD a few years ago, all with the main purpose of the studios making more money. While I am thrilled to have gotten both of these titles for such a low price, I don't see how they are making a ton of money doing something like this. It just seems like they are defeating their own purpose. But, I could be wrong about that.

thespindoc  » Nov 19, 2009
Right you are Dynamo - I don't recall anyone bundling VHS cassettes with their DVD release to help soften the blow, however I still like the fact that I have a DVD copy of these to give to my lil' one. Those Disney DVDs go through hell if you know what I mean!

Galley  » Nov 19, 2009
I, for one, am glad that the bundle DVDs. I bought Up, Monsters Inc. and Snow White as Christmas gifts. Hopefully that will entice them to buy a BD player.

Dynamo of Eternia  » Nov 19, 2009

mikryan29: "i really wish they would stop putting dvd's in with the blu ray's . Although i got a great deal on both these titles others that have 4 discs or even 3 cost too much money . I wonder what we would save if anything without the dvd version . i just give mine away" Here we go again. The fictional extra cost for the DVDs and/or digital copies that come with some movies. This whole idea that we are paying "so much" more for those movies that included these things is all in people's heads. Heck, look at Up and Monsters Inc. right now. Even without the coupons, combined purchased discounts, etc, Monsters Inc. is is $21.49 on Amazon, and Up is $19.99. Those are great prices for recently released Blu-Rays. Heck, Disney movies in standard DVD with no digital copy tend to cost $19.99.... in fact, that's what the single disc DVD version of Up is currently going for. Look at other Disney movies on Blu-Ray that include a DVD copy like Pinocchio, Show White, Sleeping Beauty, etc. All around $19.99. Look at the upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on Blu-Ray. It includes both a DVD and a digital copy, and it's going for only $16.99! That kind of a price for a new Blu-Ray release was UNHEARD OF even just a few months ago, regardless of whether or not DVD or Digital Copy were included. I buy a lot of Blu-Rays (and have especially been doing so lately as a lot of stuff that I want has been coming out) and I've been finding that I'm paying at least as much and often more for recently released catalog titles that don't include any kind of DVD or digital copy than I am for the newer major releases that those things tend to most often be included with. The reality is that including those things doesn't add much to the production cost at all. At this point mass DVD disc replication likely only costs pennies per disc. And all they are doing is taking the same DVDs that they are already making anyway for regular DVD sale, and making some extra copies to include with the Blu-Ray. It's not exactly some big, costly thing. And I can't imagine digital copy costing much more either. It's a pretty simple thing to make. The reality is that generally speaking, you aren't paying more for those releases that include these things. It's all in your head. What I find funny is that you even admit to getting a good deal on Up and Monsters, yet still feel the need to complain about this fictional "cost" (which only exists in your head) of these added extras, yet if the movies came out costing $25 each with no coupons, combined purchase discounts, etc, and didn't include the DVD or digital copy, you likely wouldn't be complaing and would likely perceive it as being cheaper in your mind because you aren't paying for these extra discs that you don't have a use for. thespindoc: "Right you are Dynamo - I don't recall anyone bundling VHS cassettes with their DVD release to help soften the blow, however I still like the fact that I have a DVD copy of these to give to my lil' one. Those Disney DVDs go through hell if you know what I mean!" I have no problem at all with the DVD version being included. Your reasoning makes perfect sense (giving that disc to your kids so they don't destroy the BD), and even though I don't have kids, I still appreciate having a DVD copy since my wife and I don't have a Blu-Ray player in other rooms of the house, like the bedroom, for instance. Sometimes we like to lay in bed and watch a movie. It's nice to have the option to watch the movies that I buy on Blu-Ray in that room without having to add new equipment to that room and without having to move equipment from one room to the other.

JB2K  » Nov 19, 2009
Let's not forget that the DVD copies Disney inserts in their Blu-ray offerings is also great for the large number of DVD players that are built-in today's family vehicles...

walakazoo  » Nov 19, 2009

Dynamo of Eternia, I think you're way over estimating the amount of people that got these discs for super cheap. I was one who got both from Amazon for about $22 but I would say the vast major of the copies were sold either by Amazon for the $32 together or Best Buy for $42 together. Those were the standard deals without having to print coupons or finagle a deal with Amazon Customer Service. Sure, people who visit sites like this or DVDtalk got better deals but most people just walk in the store and buy it at the standard price.

Dynamo of Eternia  » Nov 19, 2009

@walakazoo: Don't get me wrong, I am sure that plenty of people went out and bought these movies without using any coupons and having no knowledge of them. But it's still obvious that a decent amount of people knew about them to some degree or another. I doubt that so many Target locations would have run out of the Monsters Inc BD so quickly if it hadn't been for people doing the coupon stacking deal, for example.

SeanMF  » Nov 19, 2009

The Dvds are for vehicles and kids bedrooms that don't have bluray. Until bluray players are everywhere...this is a smart move for family oriented films. It doesn't cost much more for movie studios...so why not do it? $32 for UP, cars, and cars? That's dirt cheap and you get DVD & digital copy on 2 of those. Get bluray players in kids bedrooms and vehicles...then u might not see DVDs bundled in with blurays.

SeanMF  » Nov 19, 2009
Edit: I meant to say UP, monsters Inc, and Cars in my previous post.

ajmrowland  » Nov 19, 2009	Show comment Hide comment
"The BD market share for the title was 24%, a record for the genre;" I can't believe some people still call Animation a "genre". *facepalm*

okcomputer  » Nov 19, 2009

Bundling DVDs is a fantastic idea, and I hope the practice continues. When I buy a film on Bluray, I cannot play it on my iMac or MacBook Pro, or my wife's IBM laptop. I cannot take it to watch it with friends or family. It will not play on a portable DVD player. I cannot bring educational Blurays and show them to my students. This forces me to make a choice - buy it solely for my own viewing in one specific place, at the best quality I can get... or pay for a format that is on its way out just for convenience sake, and watch poor quality in my home theatre.

Owen Lol  » Nov 19, 2009
Great to see that BD is progressing so much!

skitch76  » Nov 19, 2009
What happened to the list of the top 10 with the previous week's rank? I miss that.

Icedburden  » Nov 19, 2009
It's like any other coupon type deal. The coupon is a way to get you in the store/on the site, with the hopes of you buying more products.

Grubert  » Nov 19, 2009
skitch76, HMM usually publishes the top 10 Thursday evening Pacific time so the post is updated with the top 10 early morning Friday.

Creeper79  » Nov 19, 2009
If they keep bundling the Blu ray and DVD together in those 4 packs they'll do just fine.

thedarkangel1975  » Nov 19, 2009
I don't know why people believe it costs extra for the digital copy and the dvd bundled in. I got Up for $19.99 and Monsters Inc for $22.99 BEFORE a 10 dollar coupon. So does this cost more? Do you think without those extras I would have gotten them that much cheaper? Nope. Also the regular dvd is great for the kids who can beat the crap out of it

indiephantom  » Nov 19, 2009
What else is in the top 10???

Add comment