Newcomers 'Deepwater Horizon,' 'The Accountant' Dominate Disc Sales

18 Jan, 2017 By: Thomas K. Arnold, John Latchem

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The drought of new releases is over, with no fewer than six new titles debuting among the top 20 on the NPD VideoScan First Alert sales chart, which tracks combined DVD and Blu-ray Disc unit sales, the week ended Jan. 15.

Lionsgate's Deepwater Horizon and Warner's The Accountant took the top two spots on both the overall chart and the dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart by a wide margin.

At No. 1 on both charts was Deepwater Horizon, a docu-drama about the explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The film, which stars Mark Wahlberg, earned $61.4 million at the domestic box office.

The Accountant, an action thriller with Ben Affleck as an autistic math wiz with assassin skills, scored No. 2 after selling 95% as many copies as Deepwater. The film earned $86.3 million in U.S. theaters.

The potent combination of newcomers knocked Warner's Suicide Squad to No. 3 on both charts. The superhero actioner had been the top Blu-ray the previous two weeks. Suicide Squad in its fifth week sold 19% as many copies as Deepwater.

Sony Pictures' The Magnificent Seven, which had been the top selling overall disc for three consecutive weeks, dropped to No. 4 on both charts, with Universal's The Secret Life of Pets rounding out the top five.

Other new releases debuting in the top 20 include Fox's The Birth of a Nation, a period drama about a slave rebellion leader that earned just shy of $16 million in U.S. theaters, at No. 9 (No. 8 on the Blu-ray chart); Universal's Max Steel, a superhero film panned by critics that made less than $4 million in theaters, at No. 10 (No. 9 Blu-ray); Universal's Kevin Hart: What Now?, a stand-up comedy presentation, at No. 11 (No. 10 Blu-ray); and Fox's season five disc of the hit Showtime TV series “Homeland,” which bowed at No. 12 (No. 21 Blu-ray).

“Deepwater Horizon” generated 48% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray Disc, compared to 49% for “The Accountant,”

Blu-ray Disc accounted for 48% of Deepwater first-week unit sales, compared with 49% for The Accountant, 45% for Birth of a Nation, 46% for Max Steel, 41%  for Kevin Hart: What Now? and 25% for Homeland: The Complete Fifth Season.

On Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week, Deepwater Horizon took No. 1, the rare title to top both rentals and sales in the same week as it comes from a studio that doesn't impose an embargo on new releases to rental outlets suck as Redbox.

Fox's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which came off such a month-long delay, rose to No. 2. Rounding out the top five were The Secret Life of Pets at No. 3, Universal's Jason Bourne at No. 4 and The Magnificent Seven at No. 5.

Fox’s Bridget Jones’s Baby, also new to Redbox a month after its release, rose to No. 9 on the rental chart.

 

 

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