‘Twilight’ Reclaims No. 1 VOD Ranking in 2009

Twilight

By : Erik Gruenwedel | Posted: 29 Oct 2009
egruenwedel@questex.com

The Oct. 1 re-release of Twilight on video-on-demand rental helped Summit Home Entertainment’s teen vampire box office and home video hit reclaim the No. 1 cable VOD title in 2009.

The news comes just days after Clint Eastwood’s critically acclaimed movie Gran Torino had been heralded the top VOD title of the year, according to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and Rentrak Corp.

Rentrak spokesperson Christie Fortner confirmed that Twilight was again the top VOD rental of the year and would likely rank among the top 10 VOD titles for the week when the Portland, Ore.-based data measurement company releases results Oct. 30.

The data doesn’t include rentals through digital channels such as iTunes, Amazon VOD and Xbox 360, among others.

Twilight was released on cable VOD through Nov. 1 with additional footage aimed at promoting the theatrical release of sequel: The Twilight Saga: New Moon Nov. 20.

Gran Torino, which has been considered a swan song of sorts to Eastwood’s legendary Dirty Harry-type characters, had been the top VOD title through Oct. 11. The movie generated nearly 6 million VOD transactions since its June release and $30 million in consumer spending (excluding DVD and Blu-ray Disc), according to Warner.

The film also tallied more than 3 million DVD and Blu-ray Discs sold in the United States.

“Twilight and Gran Torino have been really close all year,” Fortner said.

Alex Fragen, president of domestic TV distribution with Summit Entertainment, said the fact both films each exceeded 3 million VOD transactions bodes well for the business.

“It’s a fantastic thing in the business considering until this year you never had a movie go over 2 million [VOD] transactions,” Fragen said. “It’s great for both [movies] that we have been able to help move the [VOD] business into a place [no one thought] was possible to get to.”