'Longest Ride' Gallops to Top Disc Sales Spot

22 Jul, 2015 By: Thomas K. Arnold

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In a banner week for new releases on the national home video sales charts, newcomers dominated the top five spots the week ended July 19.

Fox’s The Longest Ride, a romantic drama with $37.5 million in domestic theatrical earnings, debuted at No. 1. Based on the Nicholas Sparks book, the film follows a young couple whose lives change after meeting an older man who was in a car crash, as he reflects on his own past romance.

Bowing at No. 2 was the comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, a sequel to the 2009 cult hit from Sony Pictures. The original grossed $146.3 million domestically, generating quite a buzz with its Segway-riding anti-hero and his laughable misadventures. The sequel earned more than $70.7 million in U.S. theaters.

Ex Machina, from Lionsgate, debuted at No. 3. The film, in which a young programmer is selected to evaluate the human qualities of a robot hottie (Alicia Vikander, fresh from a turn in Seventh Son), grossed $25.4 million domestically.

Fox's X-Men: Days of Future Past powered back up the charts to No. 4. The "X-Men" sequel was originally released on disc late last year, but was re-released on Blu-ray and DVD July 14 as X-Men: Days of Future Past — The Rogue Cut, containing an extended edition of the film. This re-release accounts for the title's return to the sales chart.

Rounding out the top five was Anchor Bay’s It Follows, a horror film about a supernatural stalker. It took in $14.7 million at the box office.

The previous week’s top seller, Warner’s Get Hard, slipped to No. 6. The Will Ferrell-Kevin Hart team-up comedy, which made $90.4 million at the domestic box office, was No. 1 for two consecutive weeks.

Longest Ride also topped Nielsen's dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart. Days of Future Past, which sold 75% of its copies on Blu-ray, was No. 2 on the Blu-ray chart  for the week, selling 96% as many copies as Longest Ride. Ex Machina was No. 3, Blart 2 was No. 4 and It Follows was No. 5.

On the rental side, Longest Ride is subject to a 28-day delay at Redbox kiosks, so Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week had Blart 2 in the top spot, while No. 2 went to Warner's Run All Night, which came off its 28-day holdback. Fox's Kingsman: The Secret Service dropped to No. 3, while Fox's Unfinished Business came off its holdback to move into the No. 4 spot, and Ex Machina debuted at No. 5.

 

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