Walt Disney Studios’ highly praised sequel Monsters University easily topped the national home entertainment sales charts the week ending Nov. 3, outselling the only other high-profile new theatrical release, Universal Studios’ R.I.P.D., by a margin of nearly six to one, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Of course, that’s not really a fair comparison, given that the animated, family friendly Monsters University grossed $268 million in theaters over the summer, while the crime comedy about a team of “undead” police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department, starring Jeff Bridges and Kevin Bacon, only earned $33.6 million.
Even so, the Monsters win is pronounced and decisive, with the film debuting at No. 1 on both the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart, which tracks overall disc sales, DVD and Blu-ray Disc combined, and Nielsen’s dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart. Indeed, Monsters sold even better, proportionately, on Blu-ray Disc, with second-ranked R.I.P.D. selling just 15 percent as many high-definition discs in the first week both titles were in stores.
According to Nielsen research, Monsters University generated 49 percent of its total unit sales from Blu-ray Disc, compared to 44 percent for R.I.P.D.
Monsters University also bowed at No. 2 on Home Media Magazine’s video rental chart for the week. Rounding out the top five on the First Alert sales chart is The Heat, from 20th Century Fox, at No. 3 (down from No. 2 the prior week) and DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods, distributed by Fox, holding steady at No. 5.
On the Blu-ray Disc sales chart, Monsters University and R.I.P.D. were followed by Disney’s Little Mermaid at No. 3, up from No. 4 the prior week; The Heat at No. 4, down from No. 3 the previous week; and Warner’s Pacific Rim at No. 5, down from No. 2 the week before.
On Home Media Magazine’s rental chart for the week, The Croods rose to No. 1 now that its 28-day holdback from Redbox and Netflix is over. After Earth and This Is the End, the two Sony Pictures titles that have held the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the rental charts for three weeks, finally slipped to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
World War Z, from Paramount, remains at No. 5.