‘Ghostbusters’ Beats ‘Tarzan’ for Top Spot on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Sales Chart
Three new high-profile theatrical hits catapulted into the top three spots on the national home video sales charts the week ended Oct. 16, led by Sony Pictures’ much-maligned “Ghostbusters” remake.
The comedy, which grossed $128.2 million in U.S. theaters against an estimated budget of $144 million, topped both the NPD VideoScan overall disc sales chart, which tracks combined Blu-ray Disc and DVD sales, and the dedicated Blu-ray Disc chart.
Warner’s “The Legend of Tarzan” debuted at No. 2 on both charts, selling about 61% as many units as “Ghostbusters.” “Tarzan” came to home video with a domestic theatrical gross of $126.6 million.
20th Century Fox’s “Ice Age: Collision Course,” the latest in the studio’s successful “Ice Age” franchise of animated, family friendly films about a group of mammals in the Paleolithic ice age, bowed at No. 3 on the overall disc sales chart and No. 4 on the Blu-ray Disc chart. “Collision Course” – installment No. 5 – earned $64 million at the box office.
Twentieth Century Fox’s “X-Men: Apocalypse,” which debuted at No. 1 the previous week, slipped to No. 4 on the overall disc sales chart and No. 3 on the Blu-ray Disc chart.
Rounding out the top five were Walt Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” on the overall disc sales chart and “Beauty and the Beast” on the Blu-ray Disc sales chart.
According to NPD research, “Ghostbusters” generated 50% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray Disc, compared to 46% for “Tarzan” and 43% for “Ice Age: Collision Course.”
The Blu-ray Disc format accounted for 60% of total “X-Men” unit sales in week two, down from 67% in week one.
On Home Media Magazine’s rental chart for the week, the top three chart positions also have changed. The two top rentals are month-old films that have just become available on Redbox, Universal Pictures’ “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” and Warner’s “The Conjuring 2.”
Bowing at No. 3 was the Lionsgate thriller “Blood Father,” which stars Mel Gibson as an ex-con trying to protect his estranged teenage daughter from drug dealers.
Sony Pictures’ “The Shallows” slipped to No. 4 after debuting at No. 1 the prior week.
Rounding out the top five was “The Infiltrator,” a drama starring Bryan Cranston (of “Breaking Bad”) as a U.S. Customs official who discovers a money-laundering scheme involving the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. The film, distributed on home video by Broad Green Pictures, earned just over $15 million during a limited theatrical run.
Thomas K. Arnold is editorial director of Home Media Magazine.
Top 20 NPD VideoScan First Alert, powered by Nielsen, chart for the week ended 10/16/16:
1. Ghostbusters: Answer the Call(new)
2. The Legend of Tarzan (new)
3. Ice Age: Collision Course (new)
4. X-Men: Apocalypse
5. Hocus Pocus
6. Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (new)
7. Central Intelligence
8. Captain America: Civil War
9. Blood Father (new)
10. Warcraft
11. The Purge: Election Year
12. Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary Signature Edition
13. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
14. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
15. The Shallows
16. The Infiltrator
17. The Jungle Book
18. Ghostbusters (1984)
19. Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
20. Deadpool
Top 10 Home Media Magazine rental chart for the week ended 10/16/16:
1. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
2. The Conjuring 2
3. Blood Father (new)
4. The Shallows
5. The Infiltrator (new)
6. Captain America: Civil War
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
8. Me Before You
9. The Huntsman: Winter’s War
10. Now You See Me 2
For complete sales and rental charts, visit HomeMediaMagazine.com.
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