Code Unlocks Rentals; Confessions Finds Sales

Confessions of a Shopaholic

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

The summer doldrums are upon us. A lack of high-profile theatrical features is sending DVD and Blu-ray Disc consumers searching for something new and different.

Case in point: The Code, a direct-to-video thriller from First Look Studios, was the No. 1 rental for the week ended June 28, according to Home Media Magazine’s Research.

The film stars Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas and was helmed by veteran TV producer and director Mimi Leder, whose recent credits include “E.R.” and Vanished. Leder is best known for her 1998 mega-hit, Deep Impact.

The Code bumped the previous week’s top rental, Warner’s Gran Torino, to No. 4, behind two other new releases, each with moderate box office earnings: Walt Disney Studios’ Confessions of a Shopaholic, which debuted at No.2, and third-ranked Inkheart, a fantasy from Warner.

Confessions was the week’s No. 1 seller, according to Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data, with Gran Torino slipping to No. 2. The third spot on the national home video sales chart went to Paramount/Dreamworks’ Transformers, which returned to the charts fueled by the spectacular theatrical opening of its sequel.

Transformers also was the No. 1 Blu-ray Disc seller in the country, according to Nielsen VideoScan, with Gran Torino skidding back into the No. 2 slot. Of the total number of Transformers discs sold during the week, 21% were on Blu-ray Disc, an encouraging sign for the high-definition format.