‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ Storms Charts

Monsters vs Aliens

By : Thomas K. Arnold | Posted: 07 Oct 2009
tarnold@questex.com

Monsters vs. Aliens, the DreamWorks Animation film distributed on DVD and Blu-ray Disc by Paramount Home Entertainment, easily captured the top spot on all three home video charts the week ended Oct. 4.

In its first week in stores, the second big tentpole to hit home video in the 2009 holiday selling season was No. 1 on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Home Media Magazine’s rental chart. It also topped the Nielsen VideoScan Blu-ray Disc chart.

Warner’s magnificently restored The Wizard of Oz, which arrived on DVD and Blu-ray Disc the same week in commemoration of its 70th anniversary, scored a surprise No. 2 finish on both the overall and the dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales charts.

“Not a bad showing for a 70-year-old movie,” quipped one veteran home entertainment industry observer.

Another Warner release, the direct-to-video animated feature Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, debuted at No. 3, bumping the previous week’s top seller, 20th Century Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, to No. 4.

In rental stores, Monsters vs. Aliens also scored a clear victory, bumping the previous week’s top renter, the Warner comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, to No. 2. In its second week in stores, rental demand for Girlfriends slipped 26%, and the film wound up generating 59% as much rental action as Monsters.

Management, a comedy from Image Entertainment starring Jennifer Aniston, debuted at No. 4 on the rental chart, just behind X-Men: Wolverine.