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 in Media 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 the Digital 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.

Contest: The Last Straw

September 16th, 2011

Early estimates for next week has all four wide releases opening in 3,000 theaters, plus or minus 100. Obviously the studios have high hopes for these films, but odds are only one or two of them will have any real impact at the box office. Paradoxically, while Moneyball could open in the fewest theaters, it has the best shot at the top of the box office. I certainly doubt any film will top its reviews. Regardless of the accuracy of this early prediction, it is the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Moneyball. 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 of Straw Dogs on Blu-ray. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a copy of Dressed to Kill on Blu-ray. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for September 6th, 2011

September 7th, 2011

It's a transition week on the home market and while today doesn't mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, it's soon. Very soon. As in Friday. That's when X-Men: First Class comes out, which is the first of the summer blockbusters. The film earned fantastic reviews and will likely be the Pick of the Week, when the screener arrives. More...

Featured Blu-ray review: Dressed to Kill

September 5th, 2011

Over his career, Brian De Palma has made a number of films that were critical and box office successes. It has been a while since he released a film that earned overwhelmingly positive reviews, but looking back, it seemed like he could do no wrong in the 1970s and 1980s. Dressed to Kill came out in 1980 and earned a lot of critical praise, as well as a bit of controversy, but now it is coming out on Blu-ray. Has the film aged well in the 30 years since its release? And is its Blu-ray debut worth the price? More...