By : Erik Gruenwedel | Posted: 23 Apr 2009
egruenwedel@questex.com

Lionsgate April 23 said it sold one million combined DVD and Blu-ray Disc units of The Spirit in the first week since its April 14 release.

The Frank Miller (Sin City) directed, comic book-inspired movie stars Gabriel Macht as a former beat cop turned resilient masked crime-fighter tackling nemesis Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) while contending with numerous slinky babes, including Scarlett Johansson, Jaime King and others.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Lionsgate said The Spirit topped weekly Blu-ray sales and was the No. 2 movie download on Apple iTunes.

The mini-major said the title is on track to generate $30 million in home entertainment revenue, or 36% above its $22 million theatrical box office take.

Lionsgate packaged media continues to outperform related theatrical box office, including Bangkok Dangerous, projected to gross $33 million in home entertainment revenue (215% of box office); Transporter 3 with $53 million (167% of box office); and Punisher: War Zone with $25 million home entertainment sales, or 312% of box office.

“Lionsgate’s successful box office-to-DVD conversion rate is a direct result of our overall strategy to focus on releasing films in our sweet spot: ‘R’ and edgier ‘PG-13’-rated films,” said EVP and GM Ron Schwartz.
 

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