‘Twilight’ Still Falls Into Top Sales Spot

Twilight

By : Thomas K. Arnold | Posted: 01 Apr 2009
tarnold@questex.com

Summit Entertainment’s Twilight remained the top home video seller the week ended March 29, despite a stiff challenge from a pair of newly released blockbuster theatricals.

The vampire fantasy held onto the No. 1 slot on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart for the second consecutive week, after selling an additional 2.6 million copies through the weekend. The film vaulted to No. 1 on the previous week’s chart after just a single day of sales, in which consumers snapped up more than 3 million units.

Challengers Quantum of Solace, from Fox/MGM, and Bolt, from Walt Disney Studios, finished at No. 2 and
No. 3, respectively. Both films generated more than $100 million in theaters, with the newest James Bond film grossing $168.4 million and the Disney animated feature, $114 million. Quantum was new in stores; Bolt had been released on a Sunday, so a small percentage of its sales were included in the previous week’s tally.

Quantum of Solace did, however, top both the Nielsen VideoScan Blu-ray Disc chart and Home Media Magazine’s video rental chart for the week. The Blu-ray Disc edition of Quantum accounted for 28% of the title’s total sales.

Bolt finished the week at No. 3 on the Blu-ray Disc chart, behind Twilight, and at No. 4 on the rental chart, behind Universal Studios’ Role Models, which after two weeks on top slipped to No. 3.

In the digital download arena, demand for Twilight also was unsurpassed, with the title coming in at No. 1 on Apple’s iTunes chart. Quantum debuted at No. 2, and MGM reports half the purchases were in HD.