'Hobbit' Sequel Journeys to Top of Home Video Sales Charts

16 Apr, 2014

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Warner Bros.’ The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug shot to the top of both national home video sales charts the week ended April 13, ending a three-week stay at the top for Walt Disney’s Frozen.

Frozen slipped to No. 2 on both the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart, which tracks overall DVD and Blu-ray Disc combined sales, and Nielsen’s dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart. Nielsen data shows that consumers during the week bought about twice as many copies of the “Hobbit” sequel as they did of Frozen, with Blu-ray Disc fans snapping up more than three times as many copies.

Two other new releases made it into the First Alert top 10. The Weinstein Co.’s August: Osage County, distributed by Anchor Bay, debuted at No. 4 (No. 9 on the Blu-ray chart), a good showing for a dark comedy about strong-willed women that made only $37.7 million in theaters. And Warner’s Grudge Match, with Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone as a pair of aging boxing rivals out for one final bout, bowed at No. 7 (No. 6, Blu-ray). The theatrical underperformer earned just $29.8 million on the big screen.

Finishing just out of the First Alert, with a No. 11 debut, was Paramount’s Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, the fifth installment in the demonic-possession franchise — and, at $32.5 million, the weakest theatrical performer. The film debuted at No. 13 on the Blu-ray Disc chart.

On Home Media Magazine’s rental chart for the week, Universal Studios’ Homefront took the top spot now that its 28-day holdback from key rental outlets Netflix and Redbox is over. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and Paramount’s The Wolf of Wall Street each moved down a spot, to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

Rounding out the top five on the rental chart are 20th Century Fox’s Out of the Furnace, another month-old title that finally hit those key rental outlets, which came in at No. 4, while the No. 5 spot went to August: Osage County, a new release.

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