Warner Home Video scored big with the simultaneous DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of 300. The film, which grossed $210.6 million theaters, easily swept into the top spot on the national home video sales and rental charts in its first week in stores.
On the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart for the week ending Aug. 5, the actioner outsold its closest competitor, Universal Studios’ Hot Fuzz, by a margin of more than 7-to-1.
On Home Media Magazine’s video rental chart, 300 took the top spot with estimated rental earnings of $11.9 million, compared with $6.4 million for the second-ranked Hot Fuzz, even though typically strong sellers make weak renters.
On the sales front, Hot Fuzz debuted at No. 2, with first-week sales pegged by studio sources at more than 1 million units — well above what one would expect for a title of this box office ($23.6 million).
20th Century Fox’s Pathfinder, an actioner that made a little more than $10 million in theaters, debuted at No. 3 on First Alert and at No. 6 on the rental chart, with $4.5 million in rental revenue.
On the high-definition disc charts, 300 was the top seller on the Blu-ray Disc and the HD DVD charts. The Blu-ray Disc version outsold the HD DVD edition by a margin of nearly 2-to-1.
