My apologies, for some reason MediaPlayNews.com is down. So here are the statistics from Blu-ray.com:
For the week that ended on March 16th, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom topped both the Blu-ray-only and overall packaged media charts in its debut. A sequel to Aquaman (2018) was never in any doubt once the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film grossed over $1 billion, but the production would be beset by several issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, which pushed principal photography into 2021, legal issues for Aquaman’s female lead, Amber Heard, the Warner Bros. Discovery merger in 2022 and the announcement in 2023 of the DCEU continuity being largely abandoned in favor of a new DCU (DC Universe) of films. Although Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was initially completed on time and under budget, two sets of re-shoots took place in 2023 and the budget ballooned to a reported $215 million, all of which gave the film an uphill battle, both at the box office and with audiences. When the film finally opened in late December 2023, it did top the box office, but with only some $27 million en route to a domestic total of over $124 million. Critical reviews were largely negative, but internationally, the film did a bit better, with over $309 million, and it did become the highest-grossing DCEU film since Aquaman five years earlier, but with a worldwide total of over $434 million, it fell well short of its predecessor’s $1.15 billion. This week, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had an HD share of 56%, with 18% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
Debuting in second place on both charts is Walt Disney Home Entertainment’s Wish (2023). The 62nd feature film from Walt Disney Animation Studios used a blend of traditional and computer-generated animation to tell the story of a young girl who wishes on a star and faces down the evil ruler of her kingdom, but it failed to resonate with audiences. When it opened over Thanksgiving 2023, Wish saw mixed reviews and landed in third place, behind The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Napoleon (2023), with just $31 million over the five-day period. While the film made some money internationally (over $190 million), on a reported budget between $175-200 million, Wish was another financial disappointment. Perhaps because of the film’s lack of success, Disney released only a Blu-ray to all retailers and chose to issue the film on 4K UHD only as a Walmart Exclusive SteelBook. This week, Wish sold 35% as many Blu-ray units as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with an HD share of 56% and 13% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
And returning to the top three after winning seven Academy Awards–including Best Picture–is Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s Oppenheimer (2023). Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (2005), Oppenheimer displays many of director Christopher Nolan’s characteristic traits, notably the use of celluloid film, especially large formats like 65mm and IMAX film, the latter of which was used not just in color sequences, but in black-and-white footage, too. To that end, Oppenheimer also became the first feature since Tenet to receive a release on massive IMAX 70mm film prints as well as standard 70mm and 35mm film prints for theaters which still had the capability to project film. As Nolan is a major proponent of the theatrical experience, Oppenheimer also enjoyed an extended run in cinemas, grossing some $950 million worldwide. This week, Oppenheimer sold 33% as many Blu-ray units as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with an HD share of 71% and 43% of units sold from the 4K UHD format.
Elsewhere on the charts, Disney and 20th Century Studios’ releases of The Abyss, True Lies and Aliens came in at Nos. 4, 5 and 7, respectively, on the Blu-ray-only chart. Disney and Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things debuted at No. 8, while Crunchyroll’s Suzume debuted at No. 9. Outside the top ten, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Anyone But You debuted at No. 11, Decal Releasing’s Ferrari came in at No. 13, Warner’s The Color Purple (2023), Rick and Morty: Season 7 (2023) and the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray of Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice: Volume 3 (1930-1969) debuted at Nos. 15, 16 and 19, respectively. Rounding out the top twenty Blu-rays was Relativity Media’s Freelance (2023), debuting at No. 20.
On the UHD sellers chart, The Abyss 4K, True Lies 4K and Aliens 4K came in at Nos. 2, 3 and 4, respectively, while Wish 4K (2023) came in at No. 6, despite being a retailer exclusive. Outside the top ten, Shout Factory’s Quigley Down Under 4K came in at No. 14 and Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4K came in at No. 16.
Top Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 2024-03-16
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
- Wish
- Oppenheimer
- The Abyss
- True Lies
- Wonka
- Aliens
- Poor Things
- Suzume
- Migration
- Anyone But You
Top 10 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 2024-03-16
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
- The Abyss
- True Lies
- Aliens
- Oppenheimer
- Wish
- Event Horizon
- Dune: Part One
- Wonka
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Top Home Media Sellers for Week Ending 3/16/24 (% of Blu-ray’s Market Share Noted):
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (56%)
- Wish (56%)
- Oppenheimer (71%)
- Wonka (51%)
- Migration (42%)
- Anyone But You (48%)
Top Blu-ray 3D Sellers for Week Ending 3/16/24 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- Dune 3D (2021) (1.49%)
- Titanic 3D (1997) (0.16%)
Top Five UHD Blu-ray Sellers for Week Ending 3/16/24 (Per % of Total Unit Sales):
- Aliens 4K (99.36%)
- Event Horizon 4K (99.05%)
- Oppenheimer 4K (2023) (43%)
- Dune 4K (2021) (38%)
- Kung Fu Panda 4K (36%)