Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published inMedia Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by theDigital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Leading Cast

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Production and Technical Credits

2013 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I

November 24th, 2013

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and that means Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and a ton of shopping. It also means the first installment of our Holiday Gift Guide. Over the next month, we will talk about TV on DVD releases, independent releases, foreign language releases, classics, etc. but this week we start with Major Movie Releases. These are first run releases, franchise box sets, etc. However, this year seems weaker than years past. Last year the biggest new release wasThe Avengers, which was also one of thebest reviewed wide releases of the year. This year the biggest release isIron Man 3, which earnedgood reviews, but not great reviews. Last year there were a ton of franchise box sets. This year has been pretty barren. In fact, I think the only franchise box set that's truly new and really worth picking up is...More...

Contest: Game of Chance: Winning Announcement

November 7th, 2013

The winner of ourGame of Chance contest was determined and it is...More...

Contest: Game of Chance

October 25th, 2013

There are three wide releases, but only two of them have any chance of becoming more than a midlevel hit.Free Birds is a digitally animated family film that has a very timely release, but it is also a second-tier CG animated film.Ender's Game is a $110 million film based on a book aimed at young adults. It is yet another film trying to tap into the vacuum left behind byHarry Potter. I don't think either of them will be big hits, but one of them has to be the target film. I thinkFree Birds will have better legs, but thatEnder's Game will have a better opening. As such, it is the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number forEnder's Game. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday),regardless if they go over or not, will win a copy ofThe Conjuring onBlu-ray Combo Pack.

To celebrate, we have Five Things to know aboutThe Conjuring, in GIF form, starting with...

Contest: Escape While You Can: Winning Announcement

October 22nd, 2013

The winner of ourEscape While You Can contest was determined and it is...More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for October 22nd, 2013

October 21st, 2013

This week on the home market is... well... it's short. Last week, according to Amazon.com, there were 459 new releases or reissues. This week there are 161. Fortunately, there are a few releases of note, includingThe Conjuring, which pulled in more than $300 million worldwide on a production budget of just $20 million. Fortunately, it really deserved this success and theDVD orBlu-ray Combo Pack are contenders for Pick of the Week. Other contenders includeBefore Midnight onDVD orBlu-ray Combo Pack andThe Way Way Back onDVD orBlu-ray Combo Pack. In the end, it was literally a coin toss andThe Conjuring won.More...

International Box Office: Gravity Throws Around its Weight

October 11th, 2013

Gravity opened in first place on the international chart with $28.4 million on 4,830 screens in 27 markets. This includes a number of first place openings, led by Russia, where it made $7.57 million on 1,219 screens. It also earned first place in Germany with $3.65 million on 569 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $3.87 million. Australia was right behind with $3.35 million on 469. Italy contributed $2.75 million on 399, while in Spain it earned $2.26 million on 325.More...

International Box Office: Rise of Detective Dee

October 3rd, 2013

Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon opened in China with $17.0 million earning first place in that market and on the overall international chart. Theoriginal earned a limited release here and was agreat movie, so I'm hoping this film will also get a release here. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it.More...

International Box Office: Facing Facts

September 25th, 2013

There was an international film leading the way on the international chart this week.Gwansang jumped into first place internationally with $15.27 million on 1,239 screens inSouth Korea, lifting its total in that market to $46.58 million after just two weeks of release. It isn't the best South Korean film of the year, at least not yet, asSnowpiercer has made $62.1 million in that market. Meanwhile,Iron Man 3 earned about $65 million there.More...

International Box Office: Little Smurfs, Big Bucks

September 19th, 2013

The Smurfs 2 rose to first place on the international chart with $17.52 million on 12,965 screens in 70 markets for totals of $219.56 million internationally and $288.51 millionworldwide. It opened in first place in China with $9.93 million on 8,053 screens. It also opened in first place in Australia with $1.89 million on 462 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $2.04 million.More...

International Box Office: Elysium On Top, But White House Moves Up

September 13th, 2013

Elysium remained in first place with $21.31 million on 10,731 screens in 52 markets for totals of $127.46 million internationally and $212.57 million worldwide. Of that, $11.75 million came from 6,253 screens in China, which was enough for first place there. Not this weekend, but next weekend, the film opens in Japan, Brazil, Mexico, and other markets, so it should be a player on the international market for a few weeks, but it will need help on the home market to break even.More...

International Box Office: Elysium Returns to the Top

September 6th, 2013

Elysium returned to first place with $17.89 million on 5,056 screens in 55 markets for an international total of $97.87 million. The film earned second place in South Korea with an estimated $5 million on 588 screens, including weekday numbers. It earned first place in Italy, albeit with a lower opening of $2.06 million on 404 screens. The film has yet to open in Japan, Brazil, Mexico, and other markets, but it will need a lot of help to break even any time soon.More...

International Box Office: Jurassic Park Roars in China

August 28th, 2013

Jurassic Park earned first place in China with $32.08 on 3,000 screens, but that was for the full week. Over the weekend, the film's international weekend haul was $28.9 million on 3,373 screens in 11 markets for a total of $43.37 million during its 3-D re-release. Even with the tiny studio share in China, it makes sense to release films like this in 3-D there, because they didn't get a chance to see it in theaters the first time around.More...

International Box Office: Smurfs Rise To Top

August 15th, 2013

The Smurfs 2 rose to top spot with $35.57 million on 11,102 screens in 65 markets for a total of $111.01 million internationally. Its biggest market of the weekend was Germany, where it added $3.16 million on 1,075 screens over the weekend to its total, which now sits at $8.78 million. There is a virtual tie for biggest market overall with Russia and the U.K. sitting at $9.94 million and $9.87 million respectively. Getting to the century mark internationally so quickly is good news for the studio. That said, it is behind thefirst film in most markets and I don't think it will finish with a profit, at least not on its own. Perhaps merchandizing will push it into the black.More...

International Box Office: Pacific Heats Up while Smurfs Feel a Little Blue

August 8th, 2013

Pacific Rim earned first place over the weekend with $53.0 million in 58 markets for a total of $200.4 million internationally and $293.3 millionworldwide. It has made more internationally than it cost to make, but it will still need a lot of help to break even. The film's biggest market over the weekend was China, where it debuted in first place with $45 million. Unfortunately for the film, while studios take about 60% of the box office numbers in the United States (it varies per film) they only get about 20% of the box office in China. Or to be more accurate, they will only get about 20% of the box office, once the sales tax dispute is settled. Right now, they are getting nothing.More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Gunning for the Top

August 6th, 2013

Unless the box office bounces back next weekend, it will be safe to say summer ended over the weekend.2 Guns did finish in first place, but it underperformed, whileThe Smurfs 2 only managed third place. Overall, the box office plummeted 20% from last weekend to $138 million. On the other hand, this is still better thanlast year, up 12%, thanks to much better depth. 2012 was led byThe Dark Knight Rises, which no movie this year could match, but there were only three films to top $10 million last year compared to five films this year.More...

Weekend Predictions: Two By Two

August 2nd, 2013

August begins with two films,2 Guns andThe Smurfs 2, one action film and one kids movie. Neither film is likely going to break records, but I think2 Guns should at least do well enough to be a financial success, eventually.The Smurfs 2 probably won't be a hit here, but its international numbers are looking a lot better. Like this year, this weekendlast year there were two wide releases,Total Recall andDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, one action film and one kids movie. This year's new releases should easily trump last year's new releases; however, last year the box office was led byThe Dark Knight Rises, which will keep the year-over-year comparison a little closer.More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Wolverine Loses Power, But Still Dominates

July 29th, 2013

The Wolverine did not live up to expectations, but it still dominated the weekend box office chart, earning more than double the second place film,The Conjuring. Overall, the box office fell nearly 12% when compared to last weekend hitting $172 million. This is still 28% higher than the same weekend last year, which is a great result. In total, 2013 has pulled in $6.40 billion, which is just under $20 million or 0.3% below last year's pace. This is fantastic; however, hadThe Wolverine performed as well as some were expecting, 2013 would have pulled into the lead over the weekend.More...

Weekend Predictions: Wolverine to Slice Through the Competition

July 25th, 2013

It's the final weekend of July and there is only one wide release to deal with,The Wolverine. It should be the easy winner of the weekend, it might pull in enough to become the biggest opening weekend of the month. This isn't likely, but there is a slim chance. There is one other film that might make an appearance in the top ten,The To Do List. Again, it doesn't have a strong chance, but it could happen. The holdovers should be far behindThe Wolverine, as onlyThe Conjuring has a shot at $20 million. This weekendlast year, bothnewreleases bombed, which is good news for 2013 in the year-over-year comparison. Granted,The Dark Knight Rises took in $62.10 million, which is somethingThe Wolverine should have no trouble topping, while the holdovers should provide more depth.More...

Per Theater Chart: Getting in the Act

July 23rd, 2013

The Act of Killing had the best result on the per theater chart earning $27,450 in its lone theater.Fruitvale Station saw its theater count rise from 7 to 34, but its per theater average remained strong at $21,750. It has already cracked its first major milestone, and with room to expand, it will reach more.Blackfish debuted in five theaters with a per theater average of $15,192. That's very strong for a documentary. The overall box office leader,The Conjuring, was right behind with an average of $14,418.More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Conjuring Calls Forth a Winning Weekend

July 22nd, 2013

The weekend box office was mixed with two of the four wide releases matching predictions,Turbo andR.I.P.D.. There was one movie failing to reach expectations,Red 2. And finally there was one more beating nearly all predictions,The Conjuring. Fortunately,The Conjuring did so well that it made up for the weak films and helped the overall box grow to $195 million. Granted, that was within a rounding error of last weekend, but any growth is good news. There is also some bad news, as this was 16% lower than the same weekendlast year, but since that was the weekendThe Dark Knight Rises opened, this is actually better than expected. Year-to-date, 2013 has pulled in $6.12 billion. This is still lower than last year's pace ($6.16 billion), but it is close enough that it would only take one surprise weekend result to catch up. Earlier in the year, I thought 2013 was a lost cause. Now I'm much more optimistic.More...

Weekend Estimates: Conjuring Humbles R.I.P.D.

July 21st, 2013

This is a Summer packed with big-budget proto-franchise films, which makes it a risky season for the studios. Predictably enough, we've had some success stories among them, likeMan of Steel andWorld War Z, and some disasters (withThe Lone Ranger andPacific Rim standing out). Overall, the batting average for these films is running around 50%, which makes it a particularly dicey proposition to have two of them opening in the same weekend.More...

Weekend Predictions: Turbo Gets Off to a Head Start on Weekend Competition

July 18th, 2013

There are four new releases coming out this week, but there is a wide range of predictions for some of these films.Turbo opened on Wednesday to mostlygood reviews and some think it will earn first place over the weekend.Red 2'searly reviews are weaker than anticipated, but it still has an impressive cast and could come out on top.The Conjuring is earning some of thebest reviews of any wide release opening this summer. It is a horror film and those rarely open in first place in the summer, but the buzz is growing and it could be a surprise hit. Then there'sR.I.P.D., which has bad buzz andno reviews. It will likely not make the top five. This weekendlast year was the weekendThe Dark Knight Rises opened and there's no chance 2013 will come out on top on the year-over-year comparison. In fact, the total box office this year might be lower thanThe Dark Knight Rises opening alone.More...

Contest: Too Many Twos

July 12th, 2013

Next week is a busy week with four films coming out:Turbo,The Conjuring,Red 2, andR.I.P.D. All four films should make $20 million over the weekend, more or less, (less in the case ofR.I.P.D.). This makes it really hard to choose the target film.R.I.P.D. is the least likely to be a hit, so it is eliminated.Turbo is the most likely, but it opens on Wednesday, so it is eliminated. I really wantThe Conjuring to be a hit, because there are several actors in the movie that I like. (Lili Taylor doesn't get enough work in my opinion.) However, I thinkRed 2 will have the biggest opening of the weekend. As such, it is the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number forRed 2. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday),without going over, will win a copy ofFemme Fatales: The Complete Second Season onDVD. Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday),without going under, will also win a copy ofFemme Fatales: The Complete Second Season onDVD.Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!More...

2013 Preview: July

July 1st, 2013

For the most part,June was a really strong month at the box office with nearly every film either matching expectations, or at least coming close enough to call it a victory. Looking forward, there are a dozen films opening wide in July, more or less. One of them,The Smurfs 2, is opening on a Wednesday, so I'm going to hold off talking about that movie till the August preview.Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain is opening in less than 1000 theaters, but it has a shot at reaching the top ten during its opening weekend. If we include both of them, there are twelve films, but I think it is better to stick with the ten truly wide, truly July openings. Of these,Despicable Me 2 is clearly going to be the biggest hit at the box office. It could become the second biggest hit of the year so far. It is not the only film that could be a $100 million hit. In fact, there are six films opening in July that I think have a better than 50% chance of reaching that level. There is currently only one film that I think won't at least become a midlevel hit. By comparison in 2012, there were three $100 million movies, led byThe Dark Knight Rises, but the rest of the new releases struggled. There's no chance any movie opening this month will top $400 million, in fact, it is quite possible no film will get to $300 million. That said, 2013 has a lot better depth, so it might come out on top in the end.More...