Bieber Fever Hits Home Video

18 May, 2011 By: Thomas K. Arnold

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'No Strings Attached' Is the Top Rental; 'Harry Potter' Tops Blu-ray Sales

DVD shoppers had Bieber fever the week ended May 15; Blu-ray Disc fans, not so much.

Paramount Home Entertainment topped the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart with Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, while on the research house’s dedicated Blu-ray Disc chart, Bieber debuted at No. 3, behind the month-old Warner release Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 at No. 1 and another Paramount new release, the comedy No Strings Attached, at No. 2.

No Strings Attached, which grossed $70.7 million in U.S. theaters and stars Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, also captured the top spot on Home Media Magazine’s home video rental chart, giving Paramount the top disc seller and the top disc rental in the same week.

No Strings Attached debuted at No. 2 on the overall sales chart, while Deathly Hallows remained perched at No. 3 for the second consecutive week after three weeks at No. 1.

Sony Pictures’ The Green Hornet, the previous week’s top seller and rental, dropped to No. 4 on the First Alert sales chart and No. 2 on the rental chart.

Deathly Hallows also made its belated debut near the top of the rental chart, as its 28-day holdback from popular rental outlets Netflix and Redbox expired. After a month of availability at brick-and-mortar rental stores, Deathly Hallows still managed to muster a No. 4 finish, up from No. 45 the previous week — underscoring the strength of mail-order and kiosks in today’s rental business.

Bieber debuted at No. 7 on the rental chart, while Anchor Bay’s Blue Valentine debuted at No. 8. Blue Valentine, which earned $9.7 million in a limited theatrical release, also bowed at No. 7 on the overall sales chart and No. 11 on the Blu-ray Disc chart.
 

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